Workers answering the phones in 911 offices (or the British equivalent 999) never know what kind of emergency they will have to deal with. In addition to talking people through life-or-death moments, they also have to handle drunk people ordering cheeseburgers and asking for dates, a criminal accidentally butt-dialing during a burglary or a family lost in a corn maze.
A 999 employee in South Hiendley, West Yorkshire, England who answered a call didn’t realize she would be sending the police to save a pet instead of a human. It seems a rambunctious basset hound named George got tangled in his owner’s telephone cord. In a frenzied effort to try to free himself, the dog somehow managed to dial 999.
Answering the call, the 999 employee only heard what sounded like struggles to breathe. Police were sent rushing to the home to find out what emergency was transpiring. The cops and a neighbor who had a key to the home rushed inside.
It turns out it was the neighbor who found poor George tangled and gasping in the living room. Thanks to his accidental dialing, the poor pooch was free to breathe once the cords were ripped loose.
It’s the most unusual pet rescue since a dog was found floating on a roof weeks after the Japanese earthquake and tsunami.
