Dog bounces back during CPR training

[bigdoglover]

Press of Atlantic City

By Michael Clark

STAFFORD TOWNSHIP — A lifeless dog lies in the middle of the room with a plastic bag over its head and its tongue hanging out of its mouth.

“This reminds me of a story I heard of a dog that got his face stuck in a Doritos bag,” says Pam Marston, a pet sitter from Manahawkin, as she maneuvers herself to get a better view.

Jennifer Styler, of Forked River, kneels and wraps her mouth around the snout of the inert animal and begins to blow, followed by pumping its chest five times.

Her compressions were too slow and she'll have to try again, but the dog doesn't mind. He's been in this situation many times.

The dog is CasPeR, a rubber dog used to practice CPR and first aid on pets.

“The only difference between helping humans and helping animals is humans can call for help,” says Kathleen Osinski, the instructor for the American Safety and Health Institute's Pet First Aid Program. “In a way, they need it more than humans do.”

After making a career out of teaching CPR on humans, Osinski stumbled upon animal CPR last September when she was called to the home of a panicked neighbor.

“Her dog had a heart attack and was unconcious and I had seen animal CPR on television,” says Osinski. “I performed rescue breathing, but the dog didn't make it.”

Despite the unfortunate outcome, Osinski was inspired by the incident and began teaching animal CPR and first aid for Southern Ocean County Hospital in March.

The class, which is about two hours long, teaches students to perform CPR and a number of first aid methods such as bandaging and muzzling on variously sized cats and dogs.

The students, who pay $35 to take the class, are shown an educational video and imitate the procedures on the rubber dog and a stuffed animal that is the size of a normal cat. At the end of the two hours, students are given a certificate for completing the course.

“I'm doing this because I have five cats and one dog at home and I want to be prepared,” says Anita Josephson, of Manahawkin, while others like Marston prefer to have the training as a plus for their businesses.

Styler rises to her feet after perfecting the tempo of her compressions and another student kneels down. The three students observing, trade war stories of other animal accidents and recite the television schedule of the Animal Planet. Osinski monitors the scene and notices the lower-than-expected number of students.

She says there were more scheduled to attend but they must have stayed home because it was “raining cats and dogs.”