Amid so many unfortunate stories regarding police officers and dogs, one good deed, no matter how small, stands out from the rest. But this was no small favor—Officer Chris Dransfeldt of the La Verne Police Department in California went so far beyond the call of duty there is no doubt a dog is alive because of him.
[bp_related_article]
On the afternoon of April 4, 2016, a 9-1-1 call came in to the station. A young girl, clearly distraught, claimed her 11-year-old Labrador Bailey had been bitten in the face by a rattlesnake. The venomous creatures are common in the area, and one had slithered right into the family’s backyard.
Bailey was in very serious trouble. By the time Dransfeldt arrived, her face had already begun to swell. In a Facebook post by the La Verne Police Department, a representative writes:
The young girl told Officer Dransfeldt that the dog was like another child to her parents and the family would be devastated if Bailey was to die.
The girl called her mother only to find out that she could not leave work, and that even if she did it might be too late.
To Dransfeldt, there was only one option left. Being a dog-lover himself, he went from police officer to canine ambulance driver in seconds. He put Bailey in his car and rushed her to the nearest vet. When he discovered the clinic did not carry antivenin (or antivenom), he quickly drove to the only hospital that did.
Doctors gave Bailey the antivenin and much-needed fluids to try and counteract the snake’s poison. She spent the night at the hospital and returned to his girl and her family the next morning to recover. Because of Officer Dransfeldt’s quick thinking and actions beyond the call of duty, Bailey is going to be fine.
According to the hero himself, “I didn’t do anything that I wouldn’t expect somebody else to do.” And a girl’s dog is alive and well because of it. Thank you so much to Officer Dransfeldt and the vets at VCA Animal Hospital, and good luck and a reminder to Bailey to run from anything that rattles.
