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Canine survivor up for adoption
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Iris Jacobson of Moorpark died last month when her car plunged 650 feet down a ravine in the Happy Camp Canyon area, but her traveling companion, a 10-year-old English bulldog named Winston, survived.
The dog has undergone two tracheotomies and one corrective surgery since the April 6 accident but is now healthy and available for adoption.
"He was a nice little dog," said Jim Goodreau, general manager of Pet Emergency Clinic and Specialty Hospital in Moorpark. "We put a lot into saving him. He really became a little mascot for us."
Winston had been out for a drive with Jacobson, 67, when she either made a wrong turn or lost control, plunged down a ravine and landed in a creek bed north of Moorpark. She was not killed on impact but died of suffocation from being in a constricted position over the steering wheel, according to the Ventura County Medical Examiner's Office.
Winston was wedged under the front seat, unable to move.
Rescue workers removed Winston from the car, and he arrived at the Pet Emergency Clinic 12 hours after the accident.
Catheters were inserted in Winston to control fluid buildup in the lungs, and he was put on a ventilator. Later, he began to have difficulty breathing, and an emergency tracheotomy was performed, Goodreau said. An hour later, the tube was blocked, and another tracheotomy was required.
Jacobson's daughter, who lives out of state, was contacted to see if she wanted to take Winston, but because of his extensive injuries, she said, she would not be able to, Goodreau said.
Normally, the dog would have been turned over to Animal Control, but, Goodreau said, an agreement was reached so Winston could stay at the clinic until he was healthy enough to be placed in a new home.
Winston has been placed with Bulldog Rescue, http://www.rescuebulldogs.org, to find another home.
Posted by SkipVan on May 16, 2008 at 2:49 p.m. (Suggest removal)
Winston is with Southern California Buldlog Rescue and they can be reached at:
www.socalbulldogrescue.org
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