May 22, 2010
Hi Michelle,
I wanted to share an experience that I had today.
I have a young, very energetic labradoodle that I walk every single day. He is always so full of energy and very curious about everything. 
Today during our hike, I took off my rubber gloves (which I wear whenever I go hiking) so I could drink my bottled water. This ever curious dog grabbed one of the gloves and started chewing on it. He was moving so fast that I did not have a chance to get a hold of him. He was running away from me and chewing on the glove at the same time. Finally, he swallowed the whole glove. I could not believe what just happened!
And the very first thing that came to my mind was that I should induce vomiting, which I learned from my recent DOGSAFE course.
The dog wasn't showing any signs of immediate discomfort and was active and playful as if nothing had happened, however, I knew I wanted to get that glove out of him. I keep a watchful eye on all my dogs and I am thankful that I actually witnessed his swallowing the glove; otherwise it would've taken a lot longer for anyone to notice any discomfort and of course the consequence could've been far greater, such as an intestinal obstruction.
I immediately phoned the emergency animal hospital and described the situation, including the size of the glove, to the vet and he also suggested that I try to induce vomiting first.
So I headed back to my car and got a hold of my supplies. I gave this dog the appropriate dose of hydrogen peroxide, and it started working within 10 minutes. He threw up and there was the glove he devoured!! I had never been so happy to see dog vomit...ha ha.
The dog was perfectly fine after the vomiting and I am extremely thankful.
Anyway, thank you again for creating the life-saving DOGSAFE courses and I'm very proud of myself for what I did today. Thank you!!!!
PS. I would like to thank my dog-walking collegue, Laura Smith (another DOGSAFE graduate). Since I had some multi-tasking to do, I called her for her assistance with making some phone calls and other tasks. I also believe that her help kept me calm. I think I would've panicked more if I had had to make all the phone calls myself and be put on hold.
Jenny Wu
DOGSAFE Graduate, March 6, 2010
Instructor's Note: There are risks associated with off-leash dogs out with professional dog walkers. It is not so much that an accident may happen -- they can -- it is how knowledgeable and prepared your chosen dog walker is after the fact. Please ask your own dog walker if they are equally prepared and if not, please consider referring them to DOGSAFE.
