Fighting Frostbite

It was a cold day December 9, 2003 in Fairbanks, Alaska. Temperatures had been below 30 degrees for a week or so. We have two dogs, Backie and Bear. They love each other and play all the time. Bear never leaves the yard, but we do try to keep Blackie chained up because she likes to run and visit all the neighbor dogs. When she does get loose, her and Bear run around the neighborhood and come back within a few hours. On this day, somehow she got off of her chain and her and Bear went off to do their usual run around the neighborhood. Several hours went by and my husband, Dan and I started to get worried because they were not back and it was 30 degree below zero outside. We went looking around for them and could not find th~m. We called Animal Control and they had not been picked up. The next day they stili were not back and we were really getting worried. We called Animal Control again. I went to see if they had picked them up. No luck. Dan and his friend went driving around knocking on all the neighbors doors trying to find them. Then that evening Dan put on some warm clothes and started walking around through dog trails which were miles long. Then I went looking for Dan because he had been outside for over an hour in the freezing cold and snow covered grounds. I was beginning to think that Dan had got lost as well out there. I was very worried so I went out driving around looking for him. Then a car drives up the road and slows down. I was ready to ask if they had seen my husband or dogs when there I saw in the car was my husband and the two dogs. Blackie was hurt. Her back paw was swollen like a water balloon and the paw was frozen stiff. Also the hair on the back of her legs was rubbed off. Dan told me with the help of Bear he had found her. As is was walking down one of the dog trails he was calling out the dogs names. Finally out of nowhere Bear comes running up to him. Dan told bear, " Show me where Blackie is, show me where Blackie is." Bear led Dan to Blackie who was curled up on the back porch of someone house miles away from our house. Blackie could not move she was so cold. We took her to the vet and the vet was pretty sure it was severely frostbitten. She put her on some medication for two weeks before her operation. Blackie went through quite a stressful ordeal. We are pretty sure that she had got caught in a snare trap and struggled for hours. Then she must have fallen asleep or passed out and that is how her paw got frostbitten. And that is the story. Blackie is doing well. Now and she runs faster than she did before.

Kathy R.