I am On Your Side ®
Steve Uhlman | Sponsor Relations Sales Manager
Nearly Buried Alive- Pooch Rescued
I am On Your Side ®
_________________________________________________________________________
Steve Uhlman | Sponsor Relations Sales Manager
Nationwide Insurance 614-332-4945 uhlmas @ nationwide. com
A scuffle with a skunk left Peanut, a dachshundterrier mix, in a stinky situation.
Peanut’ s owners, Keith and Christy Wolfram of Sicklerville, N. J., said Peanut has been known to chase four-legged intruders through small openings beneath the deck, but this battle was unlike any other.
They were scared when they discovered the skunk had buried Peanut alive in the dirt beneath their deck.
After hours of searching and several holes in their deck later, first responders said they did everything they could, but Christy hadn’ t given up hope yet.
“ When the firefighters saw Christy continue to dig, one of them decided to take a last look,” said Keith.“ I remember him shouting,‘ I see her paw!’ and my heart just sank. By the time they got her out she was barely moving. I couldn’ t believe she was alive.”
With Peanut barely breathing and reeking of skunk musk, firefighters administered oxygen. Keith and Christy then rushed their furry friend to a 24-hour animal emergency facility. About a week and a half later, Peanut made a full recovery— which was more than the Wolfram’ s could say for their deck.
Nearly a year later, Peanut’ s close call has turned into victory. Peanut is the winner of the 2012 Veterinary Pet Insurance Co.( VPI) Hambone
Award.
With more than 485,000 pet’ s insured, VPI is the nation’ s oldest and largest provider of pet health insurance and member of the Nationwide Insurance family of companies. VPI created the Hambone award to help educate the public about the unexpected mishaps that befall household pets.
“ Peanut is a perfect example of a dachshundterrier mix, a combination of two tenacious breeds that were created to hunt game by digging animals out of their burrows and dens,” said Carol McConnell, DVM, MBA, vice president and chief veterinary medical officer f o r VPI.“ He was just doing what comes instinctively. Peanut and all the 2012 VPI Hambone Award nominees illustrate the unpredictable nature of our pets, and the responsibility we have as pet owners to be prepared for the unexpected.”
Peanut was selected as one of 12 nominees chosen from more than 1 million claims VPI receives annually. They were considered among
6 West Virginia Farm Bureau News