Pet CPR class offered this month

What would you do if your dog got caught in a trap?

Fell into a frozen lake?

Ate something they shouldn’t have?

The answers to these and many other questions are what pet first aid instructor Racheal Vargas with Montana K9 Safety provides in her classes that arm pet owners with the knowledge they need to keep their fur babies safe in emergency situations. Vargas, a licensed practical nurse by trade, discovered a need for pet safety training after encountering a number of pet-related emergencies herself when she adopted a rescue dog. That awareness coupled with her background as a human CPR and first aid instructor lead her to found Montana K9 Safety.

“Pets today are so much more important [to people] than they were 40 or 50 years ago - they're part of the family,” Vargas said.

The needs of Montana pet owners are unique and Vargas has adapted her curriculum to reflect that, including training on trap removal, cold weather incidents and snake bites. Her course isn’t meant to serve as a replacement for veterinary care, she noted, but can help rural pet owners with basic first aid care and emergency response. A lot of the first aid care is similar to what one would provide to a human, but there are important differences when it comes to applying those skills to canine patients.

“Your dog can’t tell you what’s going on so we do talk about body language,” Vargas added.

She also brings along special dog mannequins so attendees can get hands-on experience practicing “mouth to snout” CPR and removing a foot caught in a trap. In fact, trap-related care is one of her most-requested topics.

“All of our classes now offer about an hour session where we have various traps and people can practice with mannequins,” she said. “We go over the three basic types of traps -- the snare, the foothold trap and the Conibear, which is the body gripping trap.”

She goes over what the traps are used for, where people might encounter them and most importantly -- how to free a trapped canine. Owners have to think quickly if their dog is contained in a Conibear trap, for example, which acts by constricting its prey and causing death in a matter of minutes. For those instances, Vargas advises owners to carry a leash to wrap around the trap and pull on to release it -- although a belt or shoelaces can suffice in a pinch.

“A lot of people come up to us after the class and say, I never thought about this or thought about that,” Vargas said.

She teaches canine first aid -- along with a youth course and a longer session geared for the wilderness -- in communities across Montana. On March 27, Montana K9 Safety will host a 4.5 hour pet first aid/CPR and disaster response course at the Bigfork Community Center starting at 10 a.m. A second course will be offered at 10 a.m. on April 3 at the United Way in Kalispell.

“I’ve just always enjoyed teaching and helping people achieve whatever their goal is,” Vargas said. “For me, that's the most rewarding part.”

GET INVOLVED:

Montana K9 Safety offers a variety of pet first aid classes and will be hosting their 4.5 hour pet first aid CPR and disaster response class at 10 a.m. on Saturday, March 27 at the Bigfork Community Center. The cost for the course is $65. To register or for more information, call 885-0437 or email info.montanak9safety@gmail.com. To learn more about Montana K9 Safety, visit Montanak9safety.com.