North Carolina: Dog bouncing back from impalement

NORTH CAROLINA -- A dog impaled on a fence Saturday is recovering and should be back home soon.

Wilbur, a Labrador, lives with his family along South New Hope Road - spending time in his fenced in yard and inside the house near Belmont.

His owners left the house to run errands Saturday and returned to find the dog stuck on their wrought iron fence.

Wilbur's owners, and some workers in a nearby field, came over to hold the 90-pound dog up.

Mary Anne Dixon said she wasn't sure 911 was the right place to call, but firefighters responded and graciously helped, she said.

Firefighters with the New Hope Fire Department used a battery-operated tool often brought out to rescue people from mangled cars to cut off a portion of the fence. They also called an emergency animal hospital to let them know the situation.

Firefighters did not want to remove the piece of fence from Wilbur's hip, just a few inches from his tail, for fear they'd hurt him further.

Dixon and her family rushed Wilbur to the Charlotte clinic where he went through exploratory surgery.

None of the dog's vital organs were punctured by the piece of fencing that went clear through his hind quarters, Dixon said.

Dixon's home backs up to a field and trees that often attract large birds. She suspect's Wilbur wanted to chase one of them and used a piece of lawn furniture to start his jump. He did not clear the 6-foot tall fence.

Before moving to Belmont, the family had a lower fence that Wilbur was able to jump over. Dixon has never known him to try to make it over the one now surrounding her yard.

Since the incident, Wilbur has been recovering, and Dixon expects to bring him home in about three days.

In the meantime, she and her family are making visits to him at the animal hospital, and they're looking at making some changes to the yard.

Dixon plans to move all lawn furniture away from the perimeter of the yard, and she's considering changing the type of fence that surrounds it. The tops of the fence are pointed and spear-like.

Firefighters with the department stopped by Monday afternoon to get an update on Wilbur.

Dixon said she was grateful for the help she received.

"They were absolutely fabulous," she said. "They were very caring and gentle with him."

(Gaston Gazette - Aug 1, 2016)

Earlier:

• North Carolina: Dog accidentally impaled on fence expected to survive