The Rip Van Wrinkler, XVIII, Issue 3, August 2014

Page 8 <previous page> <next page>

Courage symbol

RiRi, page 2

by Karla Schreiber

Scroll down for photos


The sun came up on Wednesday morning, but my spirits did not.  I stayed home from work for yet another day to distribute fliers.  BCOSW members Joan Gliver and Janet Ketz offered to help, and as Janet started her drive to my house, I headed off to Kinko’s to make more fliers.  I was about halfway to Kinko’s at  when I stopped at a stop light and noticed I’d missed a call on my cell phone.  I assumed it was from Janet or Joan, but decided to pull into a parking just to check.  The number that popped into view on my phone was the Prospect Heights police department.    My heart sank, and I didn’t want to return the call.   I could only imagine, after 38 hours, that they had the worst possible news for me.  But when I listened to the message on my voicemail, my heart started beating again!  The dispatcher said that an injured dog matching RiRi’s description was in a front yard on Shannon Drive in the Clair subdivision!  I spun my van around and raced to the police station – because in my blind panic I didn’t remember where Shannon Drive was located!   I ran into the station, the dispatcher grabbed a map, and showed me the way to Shannon.  She also assured me that officers were already at the scene, attempting to keep RiRi there – but they had not been able to capture her.  They were worried that given the apparent extent of her injuries, using a snare or a net might injure her further.

I broke at least five traffic laws driving to Shannon, and the scene that greeted me was mind-blowing.  Both ends of Shannon were blocked by squad cars.  Four uniformed police officers were in the middle of the road, and a beige Vari-Kennel was in the middle of the street.  One officer was down on his knees in the road, tossing bits of Egg McMuffin to a very small, hobbled, skinny little red and white dog – painfully inching forward to grab the food, and then retreating. 

I leapt from my van and ran forward – but something stopped me when I was about 50 feet away.  I remembered that lost dogs can become so disoriented that they do not recognize, and may even run from, their owners!  I sat down in the middle of Shannon,  next to the McMuffin-tossing policeman, and started to talk:  “ RiRi – Mom’s here!  Look!  It’s Mom!”  At first, RiRi – with her extremely swollen and obviously broken left foreleg – looked at me blankly – without recognition.  She hobbled forward for another bite of McMuffin, then hobbled back again.  Soon, however, something clicked.  She looked right at me, and I said:  “Ri – it’s Mom.  It is time to go home now!  Let’s go!”  She limped forward, passed the policeman, and was now only about 10 feet from me.  The urge to simply FALL on her and grab her was overwhelming – but I didn’t – I stayed seated on the ground.  As she approached, I said (very quietly  and just to her) “Come on, Ri, come to Mom now – it is time to go home!”  She edged closer, still wary… but I saw her tail twitch.  It twitched again.  And then her tail began to rotate like the blades of a helicopter!  The next thing I knew, she was my lap, and I had scooped her up!

There was applause at this point – I distinctly recall hearing the officers clapping and also noticed a man and a little boy who had been watching from their front yard.  As I stood there, clutching Ri and trying to compose myself for the drive to the emergency vet, the man came forward and told me that his four year old son, Dylan, had seen Ri in the neighbor’s front yard that morning, and told his mother that their neighbors “had a new dog.”  His mother knew that the neighbors were elderly and had a disabled son – so weren’t likely to have a new pet.  She went outside to take a look, and saw Ri sitting on the front lawn.  She immediately called the Prospect Heights police department, but also had the presence of mind to put out the remnants of the family’s breakfast (oatmeal, ham, and a bowl of water) for Ri to eat until help arrived.  Thankfully, the police department had Ri’s description and flier and were able to contact me immediately!

After profusely thanking the officers and family that had called the police department, Ri and I headed at breakneck speed to the ER clinic.  The ER staff took her immediately for assessment.  In short order, I was called to view her x-rays, which confirmed a clean, simple fracture of the left ulna (big bone in the foreleg) and a hairline fracture of the radius (small bone in the foreleg) of the same leg.  Amazingly, she had no internal injuries, and we concluded that she had not been hit by a car.  It seemed most likely that – when racing full tilt through the neighborhood on Monday night – she’d gone head over heels into one of Prospect Heights’ y large storm drains, pitched forward, and snapped her foreleg.

I was given the option of a traditional “plate and screw” repair surgery, or an EFD  - an external fixator device  - to repair RiRi’s broken leg.  The surgeon felt that given the simplicity of the break, Ri’s weight,  age (21 months), and the fact she was a “show dog” made her a prime candidate for an EFD repair.  The EFD procedure involves inserting pins through the broken bone in several spots, and securing the pins externally with metal bands.  Using this method, Ri would have full use of her pastern, elbow and shoulder – and after healing started she would be able to use her leg almost normally (like a walking cast for humans) – minimizing her chances of developing a habituated limp, losing the arch in her toes, etc.  I cannot tell a lie  - this is a very expensive option.  But I decided to go for it, and am very glad I did.

Today, three weeks later, Ri is doing beautifully with her EFD.  Her pins are due to come out the second week in August, and she has almost full use of her leg.  She can run, go up and down stairs, and jump on and off of furniture. All we need to avoid is another trauma.  For a young, active dog, this is a marvelous option!

In conclusion, I leave the reader with three take-aways from RiRi’s Big Adventure:

**If your dog escapes, always provide a description and flier to your local authorities first.  Do not assume they “won’t care” or that they “wont’ do anything.”  The Prospect Heights police department played an essential role in RiRi’s recovery, and I took a donation check to the department as soon as I left the ER vet’s office to thank them for their assistance.  It was above and beyond the call!

**As the owner of a lost dog, focus on the tasks you can do, locally – distribute fliers to local vet’s offices, post offices, public places like park districts and libraries, to utility workers, lawn care workers, and anyone in your area who is out and about for much of the day.  Like most dogs, Ri was found within 2 miles of home (0.6 miles, to be exact).  Your local efforts are extremely important!

**Do not be shy.  Ask your friends who do not live close by to help, too.  They can do a lot from a distance!  Ask them to contact area vets by phone with your dog’s microchip number, and  contact the microchip registries to report your dog as lost (thank you to Laura Mae Hesse for doing this for Ri!).  Have them contact services like www.findtoto.com, that create robo-calls similar to Amber Alerts to let your neighbors know your dog is missing (thank you Therese and Kevin Leimback for doing this for Ri!).  Ask your friends to set up a “Lost Dog” Facebook page to keep social media updated about the search while you continue local efforts (thank you, Andrea Stone, for doing this for Ri!).from the facebook page.

In Ri’s case, the simplest of these suggestions proved the key to her recovery. Never underestimate the value of contacting local authorities immediately to help with your search.  Even local authorities in very urban areas can and do help – so do not discount them when mounting your search!


Basenjis in casts in honor of RiRi's ordeal - here & here.

<previous page> <next page>