I'm writing this to inform and educate because I hope this NEVER happens again to any dog and their owner! 

Today my friend and I took our dogs to the Huntington dog beach for the very first time. The police informed me that this is supposed to be an ON leash dog beach, however, my dogs and most of the other dogs were all OFF leash there. . . and I believe the website claims to be an OFF leash beach themselves. 

 Not many people were swimming in the water today, however, I decided to go for a swim at one point. As the water reached my mid-thigh I noticed some dogs running in chasing a tennis ball. This black lab was adorable and had no fear of the water, but when I noticed they were at necks length in the water and the ball was further I started going towards them to get the ball for them. I was about 7 feet away when next time I looked the lab was fully submerged beneath the water and appeared unconscious- I will never forget what I felt at that moment. I tripped as I ran through the water to get the dog and I think I got him within 10 seconds of him being under and I took him straight to shore. I was glad that I was in the water at that time, but I hope this never happens again because if I wasn't there, he couldn't be seen by shore.  

On shore the dog was gasping for air and he started to choke. He was very frightened and he took in quite a bit of water. I didn't know what to do except keep my dogs away as the owner and some people attended to him. I know CPR and the Heimlich for humans, but not for dogs. I realized my ignorance at this point and screamed for the lifeguard. The owner was crying (as I would be) and realized he was still choking on water and a guy picked him up and hung him upside down (i.e. the Heimlich Maneuver).

Luckily, another girl and the guy started doing CPR on the dog by her breathing into his nose and him doing chest compressions. I'm not sure if they really knew what to do, but IT WORKED. The dog came to and eventually was standing. He was so traumatized though (as any dog would be) and they took him off the beach right away.

If anyone knows this dog please tell me how he's doing. I'm praying for him that he's okay.

BUT a lesson to all of us. Never throw a ball out past ankle deep water and remember that even if your dog can swim, the ocean is a whole different ball game (no pun intended) then the pool. After today, I'm going to learn dog CPR and First Aid because I never want to feel helpless again. Please share this with everyone who has a dog (and especially if their dog loves water).

Also note: the lifeguards never came to help. The police told me they are strictly there for people and if they help a dog, they might miss a drowning person. The dogs swim at their own risk! This should be on the web-page and known to all.



 
Thank You, Jen, for letting people know about this incident and the policies currently in place that, while designed to save human lives, can have devastating consequences for animals!

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