Help Is On The Way

Hurricane Irma split this cedar tree. Initially the road was cleared and the tree left intact. Every day I walk by this tree willing it to live. Sadly a few hours after I took this picture,  they took the tree down completely.

Later I was out riding my bicycle with my dog. Since the fire ant attack my ankles have been swollen. I try to  bike ride in hopes the swelling will go down with the added circulation. Riding the bicycle is less painful than dog walking, but then when I get home I need to exercise the dog with a brisk game of fetch the rubber ball or Frisbee.

Sometimes I walk him too, he loves his walks, but my blister bitten swollen ankles are not so happy.

I finally found a rubber ball that Harley has been unable to destroy! It's the Kong Rubber Ball Extreme. For two years now he has been chasing this bouncy ball and retrieving. He chews on it but has been unable to rip it apart. I get in a panic when we can't find it, because it's one of his favorite toys. Even in a confined area, I can make it bounce up and down while he leaps after it. Sometimes he catches it in midair. Other times he snatches up his ball, then runs off to play with it in private refusing to let me have it back for tossing.

While bicycle riding I heard someone yell "HELP! HELP!"  Dismounting my bike and getting doggy out of his basket, we walked around  looking for the source. We found a lady sitting in a chair behind her RV lot with two small dogs on the loose, dragging their leashes around.

She had fallen but managed to crawl up into a chair. Now she could not stand up or walk. She didn't want me to call 911 because she was worried about her dogs. I told her I would take good care of her dogs. I decided to focus on calming her down before the chaos set in when emergency help arrived. I fetched water for her. Even went to get my 4 legged cane so she could see if that would help her stand. She was in denial that anything was wrong, but she could not stand up either.

In my book of reasoning, calming someone down after an accident is very helpful. When help arrives they tend to rapid fire questions plus hook up apparatus and begin moving the person which can lead to screams of pain. Starting off calm, might help. Since she didn't want me to call 911 and I was pretty sure that was going to be inevitable, I just focused on being her new best friend. She did calm down and reasoning began to set in that maybe considering professaionl  help would be appropriate.

It's a miracle she had made it into the chair. When I broke my leg in the Virgin Islands, I was able to crawl up to a chair. I thought I had sprained my ankle. It was 3 days before I got help. Even then the EMT's were not the least bit aware of my extreme pain. When they put me on the stretcher, one of them grabbed the strap rapidly tightening it around my legs which felt like she broke my leg again. At the hospital I had three fractures. When I shrieked in pain the EMT woman immediately apologized. She even said "I forgot your leg was broken." My shriek was so loud, that people across the street at the marina came running to see what that awful scream was about.The EMT's gaffe had me in tears and now there was a crowd gathering and gawking at me. Luckily some of the sturdier men took over to get my stretcher down the near vertical hill from my apartment to the ambulance parked far below. Nothing was ever given me for pain until much later when I was bellowing in the emergency room from the horrible ride that left me feeling much worse for wear.  People kept touching my leg. The EMT did drive like a maniac to get me to the hospital. Unfortunately this included going over about 5 large speed bumps which sent the ambulance air born each time. It made me squawk in agony each time.

But I digress. That was a few years back and now today, I was dealing with a lady that might have something seriously broken.

I managed to get the lady pretty calm and we chatted amicably about different scenarios for her situation.  A neighbor showed up, he had literally just driven in from Ohio. He called the manager who zipped over in his golf cart, he asked a few questions then called 911. Meanwhile I was with permission, searching the lady's park model home for her purse and keys. I kept assuring her I would take good care of her dogs.

The fire truck arrived. Two burly men began grilling her with a load of questions. Then the ambulance came. They had more questions, many identical.

The chaos had begun.

More people arrived from around the park having seen the emergency vehicles rush in.

Now I had two dogs to care for besides mine. The dogs didn't know me. By now I had put them in their home. They were watching out the window while their pet parent was loaded up and carted off. Plus I was doing all this while towing my little doggy around on his leash.

Luckily these EMT's had emergency pain meds at the ready. It made me wonder why the BVI ambulance that had fetched me had no pain killers with them. What a marvelous idea. An ambulance with pain meds at the ready!

When all was said and done, another neighbor came home. She knew the two dogs really well from years past. The lady I had found hollering for help had only just arrived in the park from her northern summer home maybe 2 days ago. I had met her once briefly while dog walking. It was to be her 4th year here for the winter season. Also another lady arrived who knew the dogs from years past. So now both I and the dogs had lots of help. Just before the ambulance raced off, we reconfirmed with the lady being carted off that it was OK, for all three of us to take very good care of her precious pets in their own home.

Being single and a pet owner, I can understand her refusal to get help until she knew her fur babies would be diligently cared for. No one wants to think that the love(s) of their life would or could be tossed into an animal shelter with disastrous results.

After everyone left, I went back inside to check on the dogs. They needed some calming. I searched for the food and treats. I washed up her dishes. I carried out her garbage. I was thinking it would be awful to eventually come home to crusted dirty dishes or ants in the garbage.

The neighbor lady showed up to sweet talk the dogs, who seemed a bit more responsive to her since she was more familiar to them.

Now we are tag-teaming the dogs, so they get lots of care, walks, play time outside and inside plus well fed.  I am so lucky to have this extra help. The dogs still prefer the other two ladies, since they know them both from years past. But the dogs are learning to accept me too.

A few days ago I was upset that I had run into some mean people.  I had tried to put that behind me. Amazing that now, just the opposite was happening.

I had met awesome angels!