Police Go Above And Beyond To Help Dogs That Fell From 5-Story Parking Structure
SOUTH LAKE TAHOE (CBS13) — Sgt. Travis Cabral is getting a lot of praise after convincing a veterinary clinic to stay open past closing time to help saves a dog's life after they jumped from a five-story parking garage in Tahoe.
Cabral was minutes away from clocking out when he heard a call over the radio that he couldn't ignore. A family was unloading their car and let their dogs out into a parking garage. The owners, who are college students, had just wrapped up a day on the slopes at Heavenly.
"...the dogs got excited and were running around. One of them ended up jumping over the embankment that protects people from falling over the top and the other dog followed," Cabral said.
The dogs, Comet and Titan, fell to the ground in front of the five-story structure. Cabral heard dispatchers frantically searching for veterinary offices to take the injured dogs, so he decided to step in and help.
"I heard the call over the radio so I stopped at the vet as they were closing and gave them the information about what we had. They elected to stay late to help us save the dogs," Cabral said.
Titan, the black dog, had fluid in his lungs from the fall. Cabral said Titan had to be intubated and officers performed CPR until the doctor returned to work to assist.
Comet suffered a collapsed lung, broken femur, fractured vertebrae, and a bruised heart. Remarkably, Comet is improving but he is not out of the woods yet.
Titan did not survive the fall. Comet is still fighting to survive and was taken to an emergency animal hospital in Reno. Veterinarians said Comet's heart and lungs must heal before they can do surgery on his back and leg.