Couple Facing Fine for Calling 911 to Rescue Dog
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214 commentsA Missouri couple distressed by the sudden collapse of their beloved Great Dane called 911 for help. That call has them in hot water with police, who slapped them with a fine the following day.
According to Fox2Now, “Police said a 911 recording showed Rose Lakey clearly said her “daughter” needed help. She didn`t deny it; it could have happened given her hysterical state. Still, she said she knows she said “dog” at the beginning of the call. The Lakeys hoped for a little more understanding from police.”
Rose and Randy Lakey are due in O’Fallon, Missouri Municipal Court next month.
A panic situation. Should be dismissed.
I don’t see a problem with the situation, but let 911 know what it is that’s in trouble. It’s not a horrible fine, it’s really sad the dog didn’t make it or the emt should have made any comment about the situation. They got charged for the words of the call but that the response was based off a different presumption
and by the way .. My dog wad hit by a car last year due to my elderly mom letting him out the front door AND I CALLED 911 and the officer was awesome !! Even offered to escort us to the pet hospital .. My dog lived but still 911 was great and no fine !!!! I live in NJ
They shouldn’t be fined…dogs are your family. They’re like your children. The only reason I think they should not have called 911 is because they wouldn’t have been able to help the dog. They don’t have the right tools or medicine to. Personal opinion, emergency vet clinics should have one vehicle dedicated to picking up sick/hurt animals and rushing them to the vet. Not everyone with animals have their own transportation and as a normal citizen, we can’t run red lights and speed just because our animal needs to immediately see a vet….
we have an emergency vet clinic but they don’t have an ambulance nor if they did would they have the same ability to run red lights etc to get us quickly…for some of us our pets are our children – it’s just so wrong that they are being fined – slap them on the wrist and tell them not to do it again – if there wasn’t another emergency during that time that took the ambulance away from a human then just let it go
I’d have called 911 if Clara or Max needed help…and gladly paid a fine afterward.
De Ettra Dee-Dee Perry… if those are the rules, then why are people calling 911 for non-emergent situations? Happens all the time. 911 isn’t exclusive to ambulance services FYI… police could have been dispatched out to help them get the dog in the car.. fire fighters are MORE than happy to help and physically capable of transporting such size and weight. They could have been sent in a civilian sized vehicle to assist, they do have them ya know.
Fight the ticket, demand jury trial, it will be dismissed…
With the shortage of Ambulances here in Columbus, this could easily cost some person their life…. Come on folks, get a neighbor if necessary, pick the dog up, take it to the emergency vet..ASAP! Don’t call 911 for an ambulance.
Don’t understand why the comment of we pay taxes also is needed…police officers, ambulance personnel, firefighters, dispatchers pay taxes also.
There was a lady on t.v. last night who called the police when her small dog choked on a rawhide. She did state it was her dog that was not breathing. Fortuntely, just around the corner, a canine trained policeman heard the call, responded, saved the dog using a dog heimlich that forced the rawhide up the throat to where it could be reached and removed. The dog lived, and there was no fine.
“On the other hand, if there is a human emergency and rescuers are distracted by an animal call…” REALLY? Distracted by??? So human lives are more valuable than animal lives? Not in my world! A soul is a soul…my animals are my family…and are considered equals!
God gave us dominion over all the Earth and that gives us a responsibility to care for all critters human or not. An animal in distress is an emergency and our responsibililty to take care of it and if we need 911 to help so be it. NO FINE should be levied on those people. If an alligator was in the middle of traffic would it be wrong to call 911 for help or should we just let it get run over?
they should still have to asist, or have a special team to deal with animal related problems
My dog is my daughter. I know that EMS doesn’t respond to animal emergencies, but they should take in consideration that this was a panicked. I’ve heard of several people who have called 911 around 20 times for non-emergency human issues. A fine is a bit much, esp the day after her death.
I would happily pay a fine to save my dog’s life. Period.
Ruth I live in England to and watched a ladies dog die. My son and I wept. The vets was shut and the emergency number didn’t respond. The dog died after a long drive looking for places to take it. It was awful. Now what your saying is right but when your watching something you love die panic sets in and you bet your ass if it was my dog I’d ring the vets no joy 999 police anybody that would come as my dogs I love them.
In Philly there is a 811 for other emergencies and non-life threatening queries … It’s been working out well …
Maybe I’m lucky, and live in an area with great pet ER’s, but to call 911 is a bit much. While we love to think of our animals as equal to humans, it’s just not so. If my son required emergency care and didn’t get it because they were off to tend to someone’s dog, I would be pissed. No, I would be livid. Do I love my dogs??? Of course I do, all 5 of them. But I love my son just a bit more. I HAVE had emergencies with my dogs, but I put them in the car and drive to the ER. I would never think to call 911. I would for my son and husband.
An emergency is an immediate threat to life or property, and a domestic animal is–at the very least–property. So these people did absolutely nothing wrong.
911 should be able to help Pets too, why not?
The ppl sure needed help! I think they did the right thing. The police could’ve shown some compassion [probably not in their job description?] and instead of a ticket they could’ve down graded it to a warning.
That’s sad!
how many times have we been sitting watching our news and WHAM fire fighters – police RESCUE a STUCK horse i n mud – kittens – ducks – puppies that fell into sewers – within the last month Secret Service helped a MOther Duck and her ducklings – how did they find out bout those accidents / emergencies – PHONE CALLS to 911 – those issues had responders and NO FINE given to those people SORRY 911 divert the call or send help – thats is YOUR JOB period
I would rather save an animal than a lot of people I know !! What a shame -they are fining these folks for trying to help their pup, yet those stupid people up in Boston call 911 to get out of a corn maze and they become a media sensation -geez !!
Regina,you are so right if it were a police dog they would of called for back up.As for the other people commenting, I can see how people want to grumble and complain about tying up the 911 system on a call like this. But the people may have honestly thought they would have some Emergency Vet or SPCA official be dispatched and help them and then again maybe they were fully aware.We can not know exactly what they were thinking. But I can tell you from being on “BOTH” end of this spectrum. Being and Avid Animal Lover and Activist against any Animal Abuse and EMT (for you those that do not know what this is) EMT= EMERGENCY MEDICAL TECHNICIAN* and I would try and save that animal the best I could and yes we not be experienced as a “VET” we do know Basic Life Support! We know how to bandage wounds,CPR and Broken Bones and such. So I see why a lot of Firefighters and Paramedics do help animals in a fire or on a Emergency Scene call. It makes me sad to know that there are heartless people out there that would give two shits about an animal that is hurt or possibly dying. I Think Animals are a lot better than most Humans any day,not all but some. I would do anything for my or someone else’s pet.Also being in this field you would not believe the Human Beings that call and are B.S,calls and phoney from the common cold and backache to homeless people just wanting a meal and warm place to sleep. I see it all.
Come on! This doesn’t need a fine but most of us could use a 911 for our pets.
down here in N.C. tyhere are emergency vets in other counties, can these police or fireman go to other counties. if my father or any family member had to wait for an animal to be saved, they would have a hell of a lawsuit.
Janis jones you are right.
People used to call all the time to have firefighters help get their cats out of trees. Probably should have used a non emergency number or done something else. I don’t think they should be fined though, people call about more stupid things all the time.
In a perfect world, there would be an animal 911 we could call. As much as I love my boy (dog), I would take HIM to the ER; not call 911. I fully understand the impulse, though.
I would have done the same. My 4 legged kiddos are a part of my family.
http://www.rileysplace.org/pets-hints-hazards/pet-911-411/
Catherine Schneider as I say the vets is the first number I would ring – as far as I know our vets always have someone on call on the emergency line, I’d be complaining profusely to your vets for not responding to your call! I guess if I was in that situation then yes I’d be ringing whoever I could think of that just may be able to help!
Sorry. Love my dogs death, but EMS/911 is not intended for our pets. You made the best argument yourself: what if there is an actual human emergency that has a delayed response due to this crew helping a dog? Imagine what that lawsuit would cost the taxpayer…
Humans, animals– what’s the difference? EMTs should respond to animal emergencies because no one deserves to have a member of their family die because the people they turned to for help didn’t think it mattered enough. Not every pet owner knows what to do in an emergency situation, and ambulances would make a big difference in determining if that pet lives or dies. My kitten had a near-death experience recently. I was an hour late getting home from work and I found him unconscious in his litter box barely breathing and with a faint heartbeat… what if I hadn’t gotten there in time? Luckily, I live very close to his vet and they were able to bring him back from the brink of death. They said it was a miracle that he lived, but its an experience that I NEVER want to go through again, and I certainly don’t wish that on any other parent. I can’t describe how heart-broken I’d be in a situation where no one responded to my pet’s emergency and they died as a result…
in their eyes and the eyes of all animal lovers he is a member of the family and needed help, so who else to call but 911, too bad we dont have an animal 911 rescue for emergencies, there is in a few cities but are privately owned, i say we start one usa wide, it will take alot of paw steppin to do but it can be done.
No worse than the ambulances hauling jackasses to the ER for being drunk. In fact, the dog deserves it more!!!
I’ll pay fine
unbelievable. Dogs are people too.
I’m fortunate to live in a community where the fire department EMTs are also trained as emergency vet techs. They will come out to the home and provide emergency treatment and also transport to the animal emergency clinic. They generally do not use an ambulance, but have other vehicles they can use for this purpose. However, if an animal needs the life-support equipment that is on the ambulance, they will make their best effort to use one of them unless they are currently in use for human emergencies. There is, of course, the same fee for the transport service that a person (or their insurance) would pay, but no charge for coming to the house. We really, really love our fire department here!!
A cocker spaniel could have been picked up and transported by the owners, but not a Great Dane. I would have called 911, too.
That sucks to fine them, they were obviously sincere in their reasons for calling, whether or not that was the best course of action. Probably just paniced and didn’t think to call the vet.
People call 911 all the time for things that are less of an emergency than a life threatening emergency for a dog. Stubbed toe, sore throat etc. there is always a code used to determine the extent of the emergency and a person life would be higher than a dogs but more important than a runny nose!
Come on! What is a 911 dispatcher going to do for you? I love love my pets the smart person would have drove to the vet, or went to a after hours pet hospital. That’s just stupidity . They don’t have the skills or resources to care for distressed animals ,Other than if your animal is stuck, if it don’t require manual labor what can they do for you? and if you have a vet that don’t have a 24 hour help line you need to change vets anyways. Some people are morons . They cost the pet valuable time being uneducated with the pet services in the area.
So what about families like mine? I cannot have ‘human’ children. I have 4 legged children. My husband gets fathers day gifts, I get mothers day gifts. And to get a ticket for that?!?!? Rediculous! Lori Ramirez, I will assist you in paying the fine for them. They should not have to pay anything after the way they were treated! How insensitive!
For one anything that happen to any one of our family member we must get help from the people( Police) who we paid to protect us with our tax money, so if they are there for it why not. Everyone knows that many people see their pets as a family member, so I dont know why the suprise! And for those here who said that call for help for a life in distress is a waste of the police valuable time, I say you are wrong. All lives deserve the same treatment.
I would have done the same thing…so..I’d pay the fine.
What needs to be taken into consideration is the size of this dog. This is not a dog you just grab and run to the car. Especially an unconscious dog. Very difficult to move. I have had 2 of my animals collapse, it’s very scary but I could run with them. If I had a Dane collapse at my home and I was alone and had no one that could help me… I would call 911! dispatch a cop to help me get him to my car, once at the vets they can help. I worked for vets for years. to move a large Dane,mastiff etc.is not easy. And it IS impossible if one is alone. This was not a situation that someone intentionally abused the system. People call 911 OFTEN for the most ridiculous things that are absurd!!!! This was an unusual circumstance that I have no problem using any of my tax dollars to help.
As a 911 operator my agency receives HUNDREDS of non emergency calls on 911. Many of them animal related. Depending on the circumstances of each call most of the time the caller is advised to contact animal control and is provided with the correct number. Occasionally a law enforcement officer will respond out to assist animal control until they are able to respond.
Fines are usually only invited if the person has been advised of their non-emergency and continues to call 911. For my agency, 3 or more calls on 911 (after being advised of a non-emergency) is considered “misuse of 911″ and the caller then subject to arrest.
Check with your local agency to find out the rules & regulations for your region as well as their animal policies.
Where is the compassion? I would have called 911 as well…
911 is for people. Dog owners should learn how to perform CPR properly, it’s not too dissimilar to CPR on a person. Life itself, is pretty basic. Plus not to repeat but like others have mentioned, know your vets 24hr. emergency number. The citation in my mind is legit and they should pay it out. If for no other reason than being very poorly informed about how and why 911 works.
As much of a dog lover as I am, I would never put my beloved pet over another human life. Now having said that, I have called my vet on holidays to come into the office to see to my sick dog….shaking as I drove, praying that I would get there in time to save her life. It’s over, it’s done, don’t do it again…… take the slap on the wrist, Pay the fine and move on……
where’s the compassion for other people who need 911? A dog cannot take priority over people. But if emergency responders are truly available then it’s right for the dog to have emergency assistance. A separate 811 number for these kind of emergencies is a good idea
There shuld b an animal emergency ..there will b eventually!!
We are fortunate in the Columbia and Charleston, SC areas to have 24 hour emergency vets available to us. If there is one near you, perhaps it would be a good idea to put their phone number and directions to your emergency vet’s office in a good place for quick reference. I recently hit a little dog with my car who had run into the street out of nowhere. I and the dog’s owner took it immediately to the ER vet. The story ended well due to the timely and diligent efforts of these dedicated folks. The little one is healing and will be fine.
I beilieve she knew what she was doing when she called 911 and she ended up being deceptive when she called the dog her “daughter”. If they loved their dog that much, if any body loves their pet that much they should find where to take their pets before an emergency does occur. With having all the problems with health care in our country for people that’s all we need now is to have to worry about other people’s pet’s health care. How would you like it if they said, “sorry you lost your son, but we had to take care of a poodle first” or “sorry you lost your husband, but we had to take care of a cat first”? What they did was plain and simply wrong. There are laws that protect animals and rightfully so, but the needs of a human being should always be put before an animal. Not to mention that their is a difference between a Doctor and a Vet and the reasons are as clear as day to anybody and everybody. As a Christian my understanding of why a human being is more valuable then an animal is that: We humans are created in God’s image. When you get right down to it, they were negligent and irresponsilbe by not knowing how to respond in an emergency for the sake of their dog and they need to accept the fine, they could of put a human daughters life a risk.
I vote for being saved!
I see both sides…but believe the err should be on the side of saving a LIFE…family is grieving a loss and should NOT be cited…
Id agree with Beverley. I love my animals more then most people but I couldnt put them over another human life.
Another incentive never to step foot in Missouri. In California, 911 is glad to show-up for your dog!
I’d put my pet or any animal over animal abusers and child molesters any day!!!
I love my dogs very much and would do anything for them, but I’m sorry, 911 is NOT for pets. I’d be hell-pissed if One of my children needed help and a 911 operator or first responder was busy with a dog call.
I would have called 911 too.
they should not be fined
They shouldn’t be fined. Though having a 24-hr vet’s number to call would be better.
I say NO FINE, and they called 911 for a true emergancy. How many people call 911 and have no insurance or they don’t really have an emergancy and they don’t get a fine.
Not any worse than people calling 911 for nothing important like they just dont feel good or are upset about something…911 operators get lots of thosr non-life threatening calls that take away time from real emergencies..then they should get fined too….
That’s ridiculous. These Dogs are very important to us. I can’t imagine 911 is SO busy that they can’t assist a dog, or at the very least advise the owners. Maybe the people who run 911 should be fined for not do a good job at anything.
I PROBABLY WOULD OF DID THE SAME WHEN YOUR PET IS ONE OF THE FAMILY AND WHEN SOMETHING HAPPENS TO ANYONE OF YOUR FAMILY MEMEBERS YOU WOULDN’T HESITATE TO CALL 911 BCZ YOU ARE IN A PANIC,YOU NEED HELP ASAP.I THINK THAT THE POLICE OFFICER SHOULD OF GIVEN THEM A FINE,ANIMALS HUMANS ARE VALUABLE ,WE PAY TAXES IF JAILMATES GET HOSPITAL ATTENTION AND THEY DON’T HAVE INS WHO DO YOU THINK PAYS? WE DO..SO SCREW THAT OUR PETS ARE FAMILY,
My 2 Dogs are a part of my family and my kids and I would do or call who I could to help them…. There a lot better than some people I know that I wouldn’t spit on…. Fine me what u want and I’m speeding if I’m takin them to the vet for an emergency
SHOULD HAVE CALLED THE DOGS VET. THEY USUALLY HAVE A 24HR ANS. SERVICE.
For some people their animals are their kids and I am not saying it’s right to call 911 for your pet but I can understand why someone might panic if they thought their animal was dying. A warning and education would be more appropriate unless someone does it repeatedly a fine is pretty harsh for what was probally an honest mistake.
That’s a tough one. I don’t think they should be fined and I might have done the same thing. How about a 911# for pet emergencies…….
that not fare!!!
that is insane….!!!
Be real people. It makes perfect sense that these people were in panic, but we should all know better in our objective situation. 911 isn’t going to do anything for your collapsed pet. Call a vet you can trust!
what assholes they are,this poor dog needed help and they should of helped them,if i was this family i would be talking to a lawyer,so sorry for this poor dog..R.I.P. SWEET ANGEL….YOU SUCK 911
3am sunday morning, my dog was bleeding internally and could do nothing until emergency vet service opened 8am. They saved her life, telling me no guarantees.
I would like to mention the bill was 700 dollars.
i don’t think they should be fined.they didn’t do anything that got in the way of emergency services doing their job.it’s a shame they didn’t use common sense, but they don’t need to be fined for that.
When you dial 911 the call taker determines who needs to be dispatched; police, fire, rescue etc. if these people said their daughter then they should be fined for misuse of the 911 system. If they said dog the call taker probably would have referred them somewhere else. I rescue dogs and I am an EMT, as much as my dogs are part of my family…911 should not be used for pet emergencies…that’s what emergency vets are for.
Because I went the extra mile for my dog…..does she love me, tell’s me everyday.
Fined? Really? What the heck is 911 for???? It was an emergency! People call 911 around here if they get locked out of their cars! Come ON!
Unfortunately, living in a small town, I agree with the fine. If there was a “Human” emergency, it could have proved tragic, at least in my town. There are two 24hr emergency Vet clinics within 20 min of my house. I know my dog is a member of my family, but she is my responsibility and the Vets, not our towns 911 paramedics.
It’s a fact that pets become a valid part of the family, what else where the couple supposed to do? If I felt helpless & in a stressful situation, I’d of called the emergency services too, and pay the fine….
You have got to be kidding, fined this couple. How silly is that.
I think the person paniced she doesn’t deserve a huge fine also. She did what she though she needed to do to get the help.
I love dogs and cats, but I gotta say I’m shocked that so many favor a call to 911 for an animal emergency. If you have an emergency with your pet, call a vet…or better yet, know where an emergency clinic for animals is, and take your animal there. You can usually get there much faster than waiting for a medic and then hoping they would even treat your animal. A 911 response to a pet emergency might prevent a human from getting treatment they need in a life and death situation. I don’t blame the city one bit for issuing a ticket to these people, especially since it sounds as though the caller mislead the 911 operator.
Fined? Seriously? Ugh
our 9-1-1 does not fine for that. we respond to everything.
It is wrong because she called the dog her daughter. Otherwise I wouldn’t see a problem with it.
I’ll help pay the fine…..I love Dogs and would have done the same thing!
Love my dog, but people first, then pets.
Hey my dog is my daughter. i adopted her!
dogs are important for a lot of people i love animals in general and if the police is mad oh well, get over it we pay taxes for those services, doggies need emergency too, because is like a child missing, except with 4 legs, but does not talk only barks for whatever their needs are, so yes the couple did the right thing because they love their fuzzy friend.
It would never occur to me to call 911 for a dog. Loving dogs is a wonderful wonderfu thing until it places dogs above people.
Wow obviously this is not a cut and dry zituation? Maybe speeaks to the fact that maybe vet clinics should have “animal ambulance services” available?
Fined for trying to rescue their dog?? That’s insane!! Luckily many people see pets as full family members and therefore at the same level with humans.
Ya know, if my dog was dying I’d call the police too! I often tell people this: if I saw a baby and a dog in the middle of the road and a truck was coming really fast, and I could only save one, it’d be the dog. I love animals more than I do humans. Animals are never mean to make themselves feel better, we do. We are the evil that is on this planet not animals.