A Christmas Tail |
| December 27, 2013 |
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By Mike Meier County Public Information On Christmas Eve, the Bonners Ferry Police Department received a call regarding an injured dog on the Kootenai River Bridge. By the time police arrived on scene, two local girls, Crystal Martin and Michelle Colaianni, had picked up the dog to carry it to the Sheriff’s Office. They were grateful for the ride. One of the girls rode in the back, comforting the dog, who was very scared and bleeding profusely. The sheriff’s office paged Dr. Roland Hall immediately and Dr. Hall asked that they all meet at the Bonners Ferry Vet Clinic within 15 minutes. So, in the care of the two girls, the scared and injured dog was once again transported. While the dog was treated, the girls stayed at the dog’s side, adding comfort and security for the scared animal. Now the rest of the story. The dog license was #170 and the list at dispatch ended at #157, so to identify the dog and notify the owner, an updated list needed to be retrieved from city hall. City employee Christine McNair gave up her Christmas Eve to travel to city hall and provide the dog owner information from records. Having a dog license and name tag on a dog can be a life saver for the dog. Dogs get lost, injured and sometimes stolen, and without tags and name collars, they can be impossible to trace to their owners. It was determined that the owner of the dog was down town searching for the animal as this drama unfolded. A sheriff's deputy provided a courtesy ride to a tearful reunion for the dog and owner. The dog, complete with a broken leg in a cast and missing most of the tail, is expected to make a complete recovery. The heroes of this story are the two girls, the city employee, and the vet. When thanked for all the care for the dog, one of the girls commented that maybe they were paying it forward, and that maybe someone else would also help save an animal in the future. |