Between microchips and a slew of
dog tags, we all do a lot to make sure our dogs are easy to identify. But despite all of our efforts to keep our dogs safe, we sometimes forget to take care of ourselves. I never realized how important this was this until I was involved in a fluke accident
at the dog park that landed me in the ER.
I was later told that a dog had run full-speed into my legs from behind, and I fell back so hard that my head bounced on the concrete. Considering how fast some of these dogs run, I'm surprised it doesn't happen more often.
I was completely passed out, and since I cut my head when I fell, they called an ambulance to take me away. I couldn't speak, but I remember opening my eyes and looking up at this face:
I guess Miss M was standing over me and licking me. When they took me away in the ambulance, someone had the foresight to take Miss M home with them and slip their phone number into my pocket.
At the time I lived alone, and no one knew I had gone to the park. I didn't have any type of ID on me, so the hospital didn't even know who I was until I became conscious again. Plus, since we store most phone numbers in our phone, I couldn't even remember the numbers of people to call.
Besides a slight case of Vertigo, everything turned out ok in the end. This incident really opened my eyes; I never expected anything so dangerous to happen just by a routine visit to the dog park. Thinking about how many more dangerous things I do, I decided to get my
own form of "human dog tag".
I bought
this Road ID which slips into the laces of my shoes; they also have wrist and ankle tags. It lists my name and 3 people to contact in case of emergency. I wear this
when running on the lakefront, and I make E
wear one when biking. Considering I never thought something so crazy could happen at the dog park, I always want to be prepared because you never know when the next fluke emergency could hit.
40 comments:
What a crazy accident and totally something I never would've thought of happening. As I was reading, I started to worry about the dogs, then finally got to the part where you told about Miss M. How scary for all of you! Thanks for the PSA...definitely something I should think about!
Wow! That musta been skeery! And I'm proud of Miss M for trying to take care of you and not pretending that she didn't know you or something. BOL!
I'm gonna tell my mom about that pawson tag cuz I worry about her when she goes out running by herself. And no matter how much I try, she won't take me with her!
Wiggles & Wags,
Mayzie
This is a great thing that people don't think about! I'm going to tell my mom to get one...
-Corbin
Yah I've ordered one, the only times I'm usually out and about without my id is walking the pups... I would hate for anything to happen to them if I wasn't identified. "P
This is quite an interesting item. One time another driver broke our car and momma blacked out. She did come to by the time the ambulance came. I think I will order her one and put on her just in case. Thank you.
Wags and Licks,
Mollie Jo & Bobo
Wow - that is a bizarre story.
I have a question - what information do you include on your dog's tag?
Mine have my dog's name, my full name, and my phone number. I don't have my address on their tags, thinking that I'd rather have someone call me then try to get the dogs back to my house (what if it's on fire? what if we are out of town?).
Thoughts?
Scary- glad you're okay! I always (usually) put my driver's license in my pocket, but that is a really great idea.
i have "dog tags" that i wear when hiking that have my name and blood type, generally don't where them in country or local short hikes...Ms.Rikki has her name, my phone number, her chip ID and county registration number on her peace sign tag.
That must have been so scary! I can't imagine. I hope Ms. M was a good nurse while you recovered! This is such a great idea though, and one I never would have thought of. The human dog tag is great.
BTW - I featured you guys on my blog today :)
Wow! You are so lucky that you were ok, and how nice of the person who took Ms M and was smart enough to leave thier address.
The tag is an excellent idea, thank you so much for sharing this, I'm going to look into gettin one for each person in our family.
I bookmarked that site - the bracelets are a good idea, sort of like the medic alert bracelets.
My husband and I are avid cyclists, and have had Road IDs for a few years now. I wear mine pretty much all the time - EMTs generally don't want to go through people's stuff because of liability, so I wear mine pretty much every time I step out the door. I haven't needed it yet (*knock on wood*) but as you have just shown - you never know when you will need it. Glad to hear you are okay, BTW.
-Dr. Liz (Fiona and Abby's Mom)
If you don't mind, I shared your post on the Road ID site on Facebook - hey, maybe they'll send you another one for free! ;-)
-Dr. Liz (again)
Woah. That's a scary story! Love that someone was kind enough to take Miss M and leave their number with you. But concrete and head... yikes.
I usually always take my id and a credit card (just in case!) when I go to the dog park or for a walk and usually my phone. If Im walking Darwin I sometimes leave my phone at home, but Jason gets on my case because "you never know if something may happen", but I find carrying a phone too bulky sometimes. That id would be perfect.
As a giant dog owner, we've learned that when we're at the dog park to keep your knees bent, especially if the dogs are chasing each other. Straight locked knees is an ACL tear waiting to happen. We've seen people wiped out by their dogs (thankfully no injuries) but we've heard stories of blown out knees.
Wonderful advice! Mom tries and carries ID wif her all da time but she is old and furgets so I will tell her 'bout this.
Woofs and Licks,
Maggie Mae
Oh my goodness! Glad you are ok. You are absolutely right. Mom doesn't think of herself just us. This is a great idea
Benny & Lily
What a great idea! I will tell Mom and Dad to get one!! Thanks :)
How scary. I'm glad both you and Miss M ended up in good hands. I would be terrified for Sugar if something like that happened to me.
As a kid, my mom always had an ID bracelet made for us kids but I would never have thought about it as an adult... Smart thinking and glad that you weren't really hurt.
~The Mama Monster
That is a really good idea. One never thinks of such things before it is too late, do we?
I'm glad you were okay. And I'm glad someone was nice enough to take care of Miss M. That was lucky indeed.
Badmuthafudruckers--We also only have the dogs' names and our phone number on their tags. We're kind of weird about people finding out where we live. We actually have "vacation tags" we put on the dogs when we're traveling out of the country and don't have phone access.
The scariest part of the whole incident was not knowing where Miss M was. I'm so lucky that someone remembered to take her home among all the excitement, and that the woman who took her was really nice.
I've found several "lost" dogs who merely escaped their yard while running. I don't carry my phone on me when I run and if those dogs hadn't had their address on their tags, it would have been a much bigger hassle for me to get them to my house then bring them to theirs. They're often just a few block from where they live and it's quite easy to drop them off. After those experiences I do have my full address on my dog's tags. I also have "People friendly and pet friendly" on the back of the tag, just in case someone can't find me and is worried about taking them in.
Crazy incident at the dog run though! Soon we'll all have microchips too!
That is very good advice. Mom keeps her driver's license and a credit card in a small wallet in her backpack when we go hiking because she does not want to leave anything like that in the car in case the car gets broken into. But the bonus of doing that is she does have identification on her while hiking. She also puts emergency contact information in a plastic baggie in my backpack in case something happens to her and I am found without her.
Wow! At first we thought this was a recent happening. Glad to see it was in past and you're okay! That was sweet of Miss M to watch over you. They really should have let her ride with you!
The Road Dogs
What as story! I usually carry my phone with me but what if the battery went dead. I have passed out in public too. Thank goodness Ms. M was returned to you too.
that is such an interesting angle to think about when out doing something that doesn't allow you to have a regular ID on you
Kari
http://dogisgodinreverse.com/
WOW! That's terrifying! I've never thought about needing a human tag... Might have to look into that.
Wow - scary! When I used to run, I always had an ID like yours on my shoe. Now that I'm sidelined, I never think to keep any ID on me while I'm out walking T2 (who have my mobile number on their tags, so no help at all)...but that's the first thing I'm going to take care of tomorrow. Thanks!
Yikes, thank goodness you are OK and someone took care of Miss M also! I actually just got a Road ID a few weeks ago for my husband to wear when biking. I kept thinking about how in the world would anyone contact me if something happened, so came upon those and thought it was a great idea.
Wow, that is super scary! And you are right, you just never know. Better to be prepared.
Your pal, Pip
Holy crap! That would have been one hell of a rude wake up call! I always, always have my cell phone with me, which hopefully someone would use to find my husband and next of kin, but another form of ID would certainly be prudent. Thanks for sharing that!
I'm going to have to look into that. I do a lot of horse riding on my own, and do worry about what would happen if I fell off. Thanks for the heads up!
Sam
Great idea to have while walking. Mom brings her phone and that's it, no id.
Thanks for posting.
O.O i never thought dog parks will become that dangerous. although i always bring an ID with me, this is a pretty good idea. maybe i will buy one of those. hope you're doing fine now^_^
~Buy WoW DeathKnight~
Goodness! TKO'd at the dog park. Glad you weren't badly hurt. Never heard of people tags before. Heard some human pups are getting chips now though.
Good ol' Miss M for stickin by ya :) and the good samaritan for taking care of her until you returned from the hospital.
Waggin at ya,
Roo
Ouch! You fell hard!
Miss M is a natural nurse.
What a great idea about the tag.
Sugars,
Mack
What a scary thing to have happen. I love the id of our own personal id tags. You never do know what could happen. Good thing you came out of it a-okay.
I'm so glad someone was kind enough to bring Miss M home and give you their phone number. That would honestly be my biggest concern (granted, if I was unconscious or concussed, I probably wouldn't have too many concerns)...
Glad you were ok! And yes, how very scary. When I walk the girls, I don't carry ID and even think it's a bit cumbersome to carry my phone, but the ID tag is a great idea. The phone's not seeming so cumbersome either. Thanks for the reminder! And what an awesome stranger to care for your baby. Ms M must've been so worried about you!
I always think about how anyone would be contacted if I were out on my own. I should get some sort of identification like this. I'm glad you were OK and everything worked out.
I can't believe this happened! I guess you really never know what kind of situation you might end up in.
Post a Comment