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Dogs to the Rescue

How my dogs (probably) saved my life

By Lucia Carretero SierraPublished 2 years ago 5 min read
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My dogs

It was a rainy Monday afternoon back in March 2020, when the Covid-19 lockdown had just started in Spain. The timing of this story is important since the Spanish government had just passed their tough restrictions, where you could not leave your house unless it was for work, shopping, or walking the dogs. Living by the seaside in a very small town meant that when you were going for walks, you would rarely see another human being. I would also try very hard to avoid doing so, which is why that afternoon I took the very rocky path near the cliffs of Cabo de Palos.

The cliff where I fell in Cabo de Palos, South of Spain

I was walking my two fox terriers with each of them on separate leads and while looking at the angry Mediterranean sea, being both grateful for the chance to leave the house and sorry for those people who had no pets to walk, I forgot that I was walking through dangerous grounds. In the split of a second and after having stepped on a rock, I fell and rolled down the side of a cliff, hitting the back of my head and falling unconscious.

What happened after I can only describe as the craziest dog emergency rescue protocol. I had, somehow, let go of both the leases when I fell, because my dogs hadn't fallen with me, which felt lonely when I gained consciousness, but also brought a big sense of relief. I could not have imagined any harm brought to my two most favourite dogs on the planet.

When I opened my eyes, I touched the back of my head where it hurt with my right-hand side to discover a big and bloody open wound. I panicked. I couldn't really move the rest of my body, probably out of shock I hoped, but the strong pain on my left shoulder led me to believe that I did indeed have broken bones.

This is Iggy Pop (9yo) and with us for 7 years

As I started to wonder how to get myself out of this situation and back into safety, I tried to look up to where my dogs were. I could only see Raymundo, barking like a maniac and looking right back at me. A feeling of fear overcame me when I realized Iggy wasn't around.

"Iggy, Iggy where are you?" I screamed with tears pouring down my face. I could not bear to even think about any of my dogs being in pain.

With a wave of courage that I honestly can't describe, I used my right arm to move my body up slightly so that I could have a better view of the place where I had fallen, which was around eight meters above me. Still no sign of Iggy. Raymundo however kept barking with a strength I had never witnessed. I appreciated his hopefulness because I didn't have any. I did not think that anyone else would be walking through these cliffs.

This is Raymundo Amador (14yo) and with us for 11 years

At some point I fell asleep, or lost consciousness again, I can't quite tell. I remember hearing my mum in the background shouting my name. I also recognised Iggy's barks, but I wasn't able to open my eyes to look at them.

I woke up in the hospital several hours later, with my mum holding my right hand and with a banging headache, as well as a very intense feeling of heaviness on my chest and my left shoulder.

"Where are the dogs" I mumbled.

My mum smiled and sighed.

My dogs chilling at my family's sailing boat

"Luu the dogs are fine. You wouldn't believe Iggy! He ran all the way back home barking and when he reached me, he bit my shoes and demanded I followed him. When I saw how worried and shaky he was, I was honestly imagining the worst. When we got to you, Ray was barking like he was possessed and he was running around in circles" my mum said as tears were racing down her face.

I couldn't believe my mum. I had of course heard great stories about dogs who ask for help after their owner has suffered an accident, but I always thought of those dogs as superheroes. I never thought that my dogs would react that way. Did they communicate after I had fallen? How did they agree on which one of them was staying and which one of them was going? The thought of their non-verbal conversation keeps blowing my mind to this day.

Me after surgery

I was very lucky to have survived that fall and to have my dogs around. The whole accident only left me with a broken collarbone and eight stitches on the back of my head. The rest of my body was in good condition and after an MRI to check for internal bleeding, all I needed was surgery for my clavicle as there were too many broken bone pieces.

When I got home a few days after, my dogs welcomed me with the sweetest of whining noises, and they wouldn't leave me alone for a whole minute. I was very poorly and in pain, and they knew it. They would both sleep on me, either on my head or my shoulder. They must have sensed where the pain was coming from because they knew that's where they needed to bring their warmth.

My heroes

My dogs are rescued dogs, and they both had a very traumatic beginning in their lives, and although they are not related, they look quite similar.

Raymundo Amador is fourteen years old and he's very fit, he walks around like he owns the town, and his energy levels are astonishing.

Iggy Pop is nine years old and he is weaker, his health is not the best and he's often too lazy to go on runs as Ray does.

In our family, we are dog people. We love dogs, and sometimes foster rescue dogs until they find a home as we have a very weak spot for their charm and sweetness. Me and my sister normally walk them without the lead, but our mum really panics as she has a strong fear of losing either of them.

adoption
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About the Creator

Lucia Carretero Sierra

I romantizise my life out of proportion and then write about it.

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