DOOL Discussion Group

Topic: Okay, What Do You Think of This One?

Missouri Couple Calls 911 for Sick Dog

ST. LOUIS, Ohio - A Missouri couple is in trouble with the law for trying to save their dog, as police said their call to 911 was not a real emergency.

“It was the hardest thing I've ever been through,” said Rose Lakey, the dog’s owner.

“It was so fast and we were so upset, that all I could think of was to tell her you have to call for help,” said Randy Lakey, Rose’s husband.

With a dog the size of Oreo -- a Great Dane-- the Lakeys certainly needed help. Oreo was like their third daughter, only bigger than the Lakeys' two grown girls now in their 20s and no longer living at home. They said Oreo stood 6-feet 4-inches on her hind legs and weighed 140 pounds.

“And she just collapsed and fell into the wall and down to the ground; nothing, I mean it was just so quick,” said Rose Lakey.

“I could barely get her off the ground at all. When I did, her head and her legs and everything she was just out of it,” said Randy Lakey.

They said police and an ambulance arrived within minutes of their 911 call. They said one ambulance worker made it clear right away there was a problem.

“She got into the middle of the room and she seen Oreo and she threw her hands up and said, It`s a dog, are you kidding me?” said Rose Lakey.

She said the other ambulance worker brought oxygen for Oreo and helped load her into their car. They got her to an emergency clinic, but it was too late. It would be hard enough to move on, with Oreo’s ashes all that remain of her now. But the day after she died, police brought a summons for filing a false 911 report. Apparently Rose Lakey referred to both her dog and her daughters during the call.

“Twenty-four hours later, they come to my door to give me a ticket, for asking for help,” said Randy Lakey.

“He just acted like we planned all of this,” said Rose Lakey.

“We just needed help. There's nothing false about that,” said Randy Lakey.

Police said a 911 recording showed Rose Lakey clearly said her "daughter" needed help.

The Lakeys said they hoped for a little more understanding from police.  They`ll likely face a fine.

Here is a Delaware fireman at a house fire showing his true heart.........giving cpr to a kitty

Any sane, half-way intelligent and HONEST person who panics and feels the need to call 911 for a dog would at least say, I'm calling about my dog, can you help?

But you wouldn't say that, right? Because you know they'd turn you down... so the alternative is to lie and trick them into coming. That isn't panic. That's lying and tricking and intentional deception.

So, fine away.

I find it odd the dateline says  St. Louis, Ohio

It is a well known fact that I'm crazy about my cats, and I often jokingly refer to them as my "children", but it would never occur to me to call 911 if something happened to them!  I can understand panicking, as I have had a medical emergency or two over the years and have had to rush to the 24 hour vet clinic. 

Due to their size, Great Danes are subject to certain health conditions, and sadly don't live as long as most other breeds, I think it's an average of 7 or 8 years.  It sounds like she may have had a heart attack, as heart problems are a fairly common problem with them.  Anyone that takes on ownership of a GD should be aware of this.  I do feel bad for them because I know how painful it can be to lose a beloved pet.

If the fine was small, I would just pay it and not worry to much. Sad that their dog didn't make it.

At first, I was thinking, "why did the EMT go there, didn't they ask the right questions?", but as I read on I saw that she referred to the dog as her daughter.  Was that an innocent slip up because that's how she thinks of her dog?  Or did she mean to just get them out there? I'm leaning toward the latter.

Usually, the dispatcher wants to know the age and gender of the victim as well as other details.  If that was the case, she would have most likely described her dog's age in human years so they may have even thought it was a child.

My dogs are part of my family, but it would never even cross my mind to call 911 if something happened to one of them and I had no other recourse.    That said, if I did think of it, I would do anything to save my pup, so, Yes, I would call and pray that they would help since they were already there.       I certainly would not moan and groan about the consequences.   I would pay up and shut up.

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That's what the summons is all about. They could be assessed a fine. ~i&b

I would think that the summons was a way for the municipality to get some money out of the situation, and the bill would be separate. eom (ML)

The summons is just an official notice of a scheduled hearing. The hearing would then determine the fine. ~i&b

Well, the fine would go to the municipality. A billed amount would go to the ambulance company. eom (ML)

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Posted by: Geri
Date posted: Wed May 9 15:47:55 2012
Message:
If the wife clearly said "my daughter" then I can understand why the authorities would be upset.  I also understand how the wife was so distraught that she probably just misspoke and most likely she did think of the pooch as another daughter.  I don't think this warrants a summons though -- just a warning.

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I once met a woman in a hair salon who so deeply depressed it just showed. We were both having our hair trimmed and she was sitting in the chair across from me, so (me being me) I started chatting with her. It was almost the holidays and I asked her plans. She said she couldn't face the holidays because her daughter had passed away recently and she was so depressed etc. I ask how she'd died and she said she'd gotten sick, but seemed a little evasive so I didn't pry. She talked to me for about half an hour about her daughter and how empty life was without her. I offered to get in touch with her over the holidays and she readily gave me her phone number, and asked me to please, please contact her. Well, true to my word I tried contacting her in December and couldn't reach her after several attempts, and being that she'd been so depressed I was very concerned. I finally called my hairdresser who I've known for years and ask if he'd heard from So-and So, and how I was concerned because of her daughter's death and her deep depression. He said, ''What daughter?! So and So doesn't have a daughter.'' I insisted, telling him she'd died recently according to her and any detail I could remember. Finally he said, ''Oh! She's talking about her dog, who died about TWO years ago. Now that I remember, she did call her dog her daughter''. Oh boy. I know people refer to themselves as pet parents, but when it becomes so real to them that they forget to separate it from the reality of the rest of society, it can get very confusing. I did still reach out to her, but at least I finally knew that it was her pet. ~~misspm

You are such a kind soul, misspm, to reach out and be so concerned. I'm glad the hairdresser was able to tell you what was what though. /Geri

Thank you Geri, but don't forget that it is actually part of my ''job description'' and position in the community to do so. :-) ~~misspm

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Posted by: sandy
Date posted: Wed May 9 15:20:02 2012
Message:
That is a sad thing that happened but they were in the wrong for calling a dog their daughter. If you have a big dog like that you should make sure that you have help available in case this happens. That may be part of the reason elderly people have small dogs. That and also so they can trip over them and break a hip. ; )

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I agree. I feel sorry for the people and understand they were in a panic, but 911 is not equipped to handle veterinary emergencies. When you are a pet owner, you should always have the number of an emergency vet on hand and also speak to your regular vet about what to do in case of emergency. Also, I don't think these people should have been summoned. I'm sure they're upset enough already after losing their beloved dog. ~i&b

Maybe someone could start a vet emergency 911. Nevermind some people think a cat coughing up a hairball would be an emergency. Bad idea.~~Sandy

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