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A dog's second chance
By LORETTA PARKCrash recovering after causing I-15 accident
LAYTON -- They call him Crash.
Crash, aka K-9 320, is a black Labrador who caused an accident on Interstate 15 in Sunset a week ago. Animal Control officers and veterinary technician students believe he could possibly have nine lives.
When animal control officers responded to the accident, they thought Crash had fractured his spine. They took him back to the shelter expecting him to die.
Turned out his injuries were not as severe as believed, but the price tag to correct the problem was still high.
"Normally we would have put (the dog) down," said Davis County Sheriff's Capt. Curtis Andersen.
Wednesday would have been the day he was euthanized.
Instead, Crash underwent an X-ray Wednesday at the Utah Career College to determine the extent of his injuries.
The dog's rear right knee was blown out and he also had some road rash caused by the accident, said Dr. Cade Norman, an instructor at the private college and a veterinarian at Bayview Animal Hospital in Farmington. He will undergo surgery within the next week.
Because of a recent agreement between the school and the division, Crash is being given another chance at life. It's also more than likely he will be adopted at the end of his recovery, which could take up to two months.
The shelter donates animals to the college so students can learn to give vaccines, examinations and to care for the animals. Ogden Animal Shelter has had a similar agreement with the school for the past year.
It was Kyllie Smith, a shelter technician for Davis County and a student at the college, who recommended Crash be part of the school's program.
The college picks up the cost of the surgery, even if an orthopedic specialist is called in. Andersen said the shelter cannot afford to pay the $2,000 it would cost for the surgery.
What surprised the doctor and those at the Davis County Animal Control & Services is how minor the injuries are considering what Crash has been through.
The 18-month old dog was wandering on Interstate 15 in the Sunset area on March 27 at 7:45 p.m. when one vehicle braked to miss him and another vehicle rear-ended that vehicle, said Utah Highway Patrol Trooper Lisa Steed. Both vehicles missed the dog, but another vehicle in another lane hit him.
"They felt more bad about the dog," Steed said of the people in the vehicle that hit him. "They could have cared less about the damage to their car and were worried about the dog and offered to adopt the dog if we couldn't find the owner."
Andersen said it's likely they won't be the only ones to offer to adopt Crash. The students also often fall in love with the animals and help find them a good home.
Smith said having the animals to work with is great because it gives students hands-on experience.
When Smith first saw Crash, she was shocked at his good spirits after all he suffered.
"He was up, walking and eating," Smith said. "His temperament was really good. He's not aggressive at all, even though he was in pain."
Smith, who cleans the kennels at the shelter and feeds the animals, has worked a lot with Crash. She also cleans and feeds the animals at the college and knows she will see a lot more of Crash.
A Clearfield High School graduate, she enrolled in the veterinary technician program at the school because she wants to work with animals and reduce animal overpopulation in the state.
The school is the only one in Utah that offers a veterinary technician program, said Talie Watson, program coordinator.
The program, which takes two years to complete, covers a variety of subjects veterinary technicians need to know, including how to care for a variety of animals, Watson said. Most students who graduate find jobs within the state.
Animals used in the program always find a good home at the end, Watson said. Currently, three dogs and three cats are part of the program.
On Tuesday night, students did a blood draw on Crash under Norman's supervision, as well as ran the blood work necessary for the upcoming surgery.
Officers haven't been able to find his owner. Crash had a rabies tag, which led officers to a residence where they left a door hanger, Andersen said.
Steed said the dog's owner could be held liable for the damage done to the vehicles because the dog was out loose.
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