Brea, Calif. (August 9, 2011) – According to Susan Burr of Rocky Hill, Conn., her 7-year-old golden retriever Ginger has had her share of run-ins with wildlife. Though Ginger’s inherent curiosity has lead to some close calls with skunks, chipmunks and other animals, not one has become quite as aggressive as the temperamental turtle she encountered last month.
“Ginger is a golden retriever, so she sniffs absolutely everything,” said Susan. “We were outside one morning and before I knew what was happening, she took off running towards a giant snapping turtle in our yard. She didn’t even bark, she just stuck her nose at the turtle, and the turtle chomped on her. Ginger jumped about 6 feet in the air and let out a loud yelp. The turtle’s fast reaction came as a surprise to us both.”
Although the notoriously sluggish animal has no teeth, its strong, powerful jaw and sharp beak did some damage to Ginger’s muzzle. Startled by the incident and the bloody lacerations on her companion’s nose, Susan rushed Ginger inside and called her local emergency veterinarian. The staff recommended that she bring Ginger in for an examination and Susan didn’t hesitate to comply.
“I wasn’t sure what to do,” said Susan. “I’ve had dogs my entire life and never worried that one would be bitten by a turtle.”
Fortunately, the wounds were superficial and Ginger was able to make a full recovery with the help of some prescribed antibiotics. After the incident, Susan warned her neighbors with small children to beware of snapping turtles coming into their yard, and she advises pet parents to take equal precaution.
Honorable mentions in July included a German shepherd that fractured his tooth on a bocce ball, a pug attacked by a swarm of yellow jackets, a cat with an appetite for hair bands, a golden retriever that ingested pepper spray and a Labradoodle that fell from an 8-foot deck while chasing a squirrel. All pets considered for the award made full recoveries and received insurance reimbursements for eligible expenses.
As the most unusual claim submitted in July, Ginger is the first of the 2012 Hambone Award nominees, for which voting will take place in September of next year. Voting for the 2011 Hambone Award, which includes nominees from July 2010 to June 2011, will open to the public on September 6, 2011. The VPI Hambone Award is named in honor of a VPI-insured dog that got stuck in a refrigerator and ate an entire Thanksgiving ham while waiting for someone to rescue him. The dog was eventually found, with a licked-clean ham bone and a mild case of hypothermia.
Stories and pictures of the Hambone Award nominees are at www.VPIHamboneAward.com.
Note to editors: Digital images of Ginger are available upon request. Send requests to ncross@petinsurance.com
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