Preparation is key when bringing a new dog into the home! For humans, bringing a baby in the home means that everything now needs to be “baby-proofed” to make things safer. For dogs, responsible owners need to be sure they have “puppy-proofed” their home!
Puppy-proofing takes time, but it’s worth the effort.
One of the BEST things about puppies is how sneaky and mischievous they are! It is a hilarious part of their personality, even if it can make us a bit angry sometimes. Chewing is usually the culprit (shoes beware).
Something often overlooked when puppy-proofing is setting up fences and gates.
Making sure your puppy doesn’t go upstairs when it isn’t allowed ensures that your pup stays safe! Dogs don’t really understand the concept of heights and it is our responsibility to care for them when it comes to high places.
One dog owner learned a lesson about puppy-proofing the hard way.
Life is full of lessons. Some we learn the easy way and others we take the harder route (much to the chagrin of our parents). For one dog parent, they learned the lesson of puppy-proofing, not through a chewed shoe or stained carpet, but a nine-story balcony.
Mel, the Shih Tzu, was playing in her apartment in Brazil one day.
In Ribeirao Preto, Brazil, little Mel was having some fun playing around in the apartment where her owner lived. As she was playing, she decided to head outside to the balcony of the room. This normally isn’t an issue, but since Shih Tzu’s are so small, there was a danger of her falling through the railing.
Climbing around, the little dog got stuck on top of the balcony ledge.
Squeezing through the railing slats, the dog got onto the outer ledge of the balcony and then got scared. When Mel panicked, she couldn’t get back through the railing where she just came from. Barking frantically, the little dog was terrified.
Joao Augusto was walking on the ground when he heard a dog madly barking.
Looking up, Joao saw Mel sitting on the ledge – 9 stories up! Joao watched the little dog get more and more concerned, unable to do anything to help. Story heights vary, but the average is around 14 feet high. This means that Mel was stuck on a ledge 126 feet up.
If Mel fell, there was no way she would survive.
While Joao watched, the unspeakable finally happened. Mel fell over the edge and plummeted towards the ground. Joao, like a football player receiving a colossal punt, positioned himself right under where he thought the dog was going to land.
Seconds later, we see a flash of white.
For a few seconds, Mel could fly. Those seconds were rapidly disappearing, however, as she flew towards the ground. Joao would only have a split second to catch the dog that was hurtling towards him. Flashing white, the dog flew past his head… and right into his waiting lap!
Like a professional football player, Joao caught the flying animal.
Mel is stunned for a second, looks at her rescuer, and then scampers away! You would never know that the dog just fell 126 feet! The story is a great reminder that you should ALWAYS take the necessary precautions when it comes to protecting your dogs (and your babies).
Check out the heroic video below!
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