CPR for your dog!

Learning CPR is so important for your pup. Check out this news article!

Man Saves Dog's Life Using CPR

(Rochester, NY) -- Molly Brady and her dog Bella are playing together again thanks to two men who saved Bella's life.

The Rochester woman’s dog was nearly killed Monday night when an elevator door closed on her dog’s leash, trapping little Bella on the outside.

Two nearby workers sprang into action, freed the trapped dog, and literally breathed life back into it.

"I had just gotten home from work, and I just took Bella out like I do my regular routine," said Molly Brady. "We go into the elevator, and all of a sudden Bella darts out at the last minute."

The door closed, trapping Bella on the outside with Molly on the inside.

The elevator began to rise...

"I saw the dog slowly rising up the side of the elevator door. Then it stopped, and the dog was being strangled in the corner of the elevator," said Pete Strohmeier, an employee of Full Moon Vista Bike & Sport. Strohmeier and his boss, Scott Page, rushed to help.

"I went to grab a pair of scissors and ran back out. I couldn't get up there because it was so high. I couldn't get my fingers up there. Scott's taller, and he came out," Strohmeier said.

Together they managed to free her from the collar.

"The collar was kind of embedded right into the dog's neck. The dog wasn't moving. It was completely stiff. We thought for sure it was dead," said Scott Page.

"I was holding it, and I could see its eyes were just losing life. It was just this blank stare and there was no life left in the dog,” Strohmeier said.

Then Strohmeier did the only thing he could think of -- he began CPR.

"I figured I'd pinch its little nose and try blowing air into its mouth, and it seemed to come back to life after about five times," he said.

Bella was back.

A trip to the animal hospital confirmed she was OK and that CPR, even on a dog, will work.

"In cases, especially where they just stop breathing and their heart's still beating, there's a much greater chance to actually bring them back," said Dr. Simon Kirk of Animal Emergency Service.

Veterinarians warn dog owners to be careful of retractable leashes when riding elevators or near fences because dogs do accidentally choke themselves.

Strohmeier says this was not the first time he had performed CPR on a dog. He says he previously tried CPR on one of his puppies, and it worked then too.

"They're heroes. I don't know what I would do...I thought she was dead,” said Brady. She says she will be carrying Bella on and off the elevator from now on.