SEIZING THE MOMENT Joe Ojeda has now saved the lives of not one, but two family dogs In 1992 Joe Ojeda of Pinole unexpectedly made By Matt Larson headlines as the man who saved his dog’s life by administering CPR. The headline read: “Man Rescues Family Pet with CPR to the Snout.” In the moment, he didn’t have much time to think about what to do, he just did it, and his family dog Teddy Bear lived on for years after. Ojeda has had dogs his whole life and never expected his Rottweiler pup to pull so hard on the choke collar that he’d literally pass out. He hates the idea of confining a dog in any regard, but they were doing some work on the house that day so Teddy Bear had to be tied up. Fortunately, it worked out okay. Since then, Ojeda’s preached to every dog owner he knows that if you ever need to tie your dog up—don’t use a choke chain. Nearly 25 years later, Ojeda was a bit surprised to hear from us. It’s thanks to his wife Debbie’s recent Facebook post reminding everyone of her husband’s heroic day that we thought to reach out to him. “The way I look at it, if this brings awareness to other people that, ‘Hey, you can do this!” then maybe more dogs might be saved,” said Ojeda. “You don’t have to just give up if your dog passes out.” In fact, sometimes that’s the only time to save them… A few years ago his dog Panini, a Chiweenie (Chihuahua-Dachshund mix), started choking on a bully stick after chewing on it for hours. “I tried to reach in but I couldn’t get it out of her mouth,” he said. “Then she just passed out.” At this point, many people might think to call for help, but Ojeda seized the moment. “After she passed out I was able to get my finger further down there and push that bully stick through so she could breathe again. And then she came back!” Yes, that’s right. Since 1992, Ojeda’s saved yet another dog’s life. He’s two for two. “I didn’t have to give Panini mouth-to-snout, but you can do first aid on your dogs too,” said Ojeda. “I get trained every year at work how to do CPR on humans, but it’s a good thing to know that you could do that with your dog if you had do; just close their mouth and blow through their nose.” Sure, it doesn’t sound ideal, nor appetizing, but in the moment you don’t have time to worry about getting grossed out. “It’s like instinct,” Ojeda recalls. “You just kind of panic and do whatever you can do to help.” Ojeda has lived in Pinole for 57 years and works for PG&E as a superintendent in their gas department. He’s married with four children, six grandchildren, two dogs and a massive fish tank—and it’s not just any fish tank, it’s a “reef aquarium”, complete with sea anemones, coral, clown fish and all. “I was going to buy a Harley Davidson bike and my wife talked me into buying a fish tank instead,” said Ojeda. “I’ve always been interested in aquariums, so I’ve been on it for about 7 years now.” After a lot of work the tank is fully automated requiring only an hour of maintenance per week. With a 2x4-foot viewing area and a 120-gallon show tank (160 gallons in total) it has officially been deemed as the Harley Davidson of fish tanks. If you’re thinking of getting a dog, Ojeda advises, “It’s not about what you need or want—are you going to be able to provide the pet what they need?” Also, socialize your pet! Many new owners are afraid of getting their puppy sick, but if they’re not socialized it could make future years much more difficult. “It might be physically healthy, but your dog won’t be mentally prepared for the world,” said Ojeda. “So you won’t be able to take your dog out around other dogs, or they might get freaked out when they hear a train or see a bicycle, so it’s real important that you think about your dog’s mental health too and socialize them well when they’re young.” For more animal advice and information, the Ojedas recommend visiting Dr. Sung at the Pet Clinic of Hercules. Learn all you can and who knows? Maybe you’ll be the next canine crusader of West County!
Contra Costa Marketplace - Dec 2016
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