Genete Bowen of Santa Maria was driving back from the Santa Barbara Airport to pick up her mother in February 2007, when she saw two dogs playing near the center divider by the Clark Avenue exit in Orcutt.

She swerved and slowed down, hoping to avoid hitting the dogs, but there was a semi-truck to her right and a lot of traffic behind her. At the last moment, one of them ran onto the freeway.

Her car struck the dog.

“I stayed by the dog's side, crying profusely, trying to see if he was still breathing,” Bowen said. “I think he was bleeding internally, and possibly had a broken neck. I am not sure if I could have done anything for him or not, but just the fact that I felt helpless made my grief much worse. I stayed with him until he passed, and until the Highway Patrol and Animal Control showed up.”

“I was kind of helpless and didn't know what to do,” Bowen said.

Her mother, who works with the Society for the Prevention of Cruelty to Animals in Georgia, suggested she donate money and food to the Santa Maria Valley Humane Society, to help her come to terms with the accident. But Bowen couldn't shake off the feeling that she could be doing more.

Bowen, who is a licensed massage therapist, had been working for with chronic pain patients at The Center for Pain Management. One of her colleagues suggested she do the same thing for canines.

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She took an accelerated course in canine massage and anatomy in Burbank, later that month, and began working with holistic veterinarians Ruth Corbo and Brenda Forsythe at the Orcutt Veterinary Hospital.

“I felt maybe I could help animals the same way I was helping people, and maybe give back to this animal I had hit,” said Bowen (whose first name is pronounced “gen-AY”).

When she heard that the Santa Barbara County chapter of the Red Cross was offering dog and cat first aid classes last October, she called them up to see if she could take a class.

The previous pet first aid instructor, who is an AmeriCorps volunteer, was just finishing her 10-month assignment. Dawna Ashton, safety preparedness director, suggested that Bowen become the new instructor after learning about her interest in the topic and her experience with canine massage.

Bowen went through a four-hour orientation that included a written test of her knowledge and a mock class presentation to Red Cross staff. The first class was held June 21 in San Luis Obispo.

Bowen is already scheduling dates as far as September, and is continuing to sign people up.

The class teaches pet owners how to monitor their pet's heartbeats and normal respiration rate. It includes wound care, emergency planning in case of illness, accident or natural disaster, and how to deal with allergic reactions, bite wounds and parasites.

Participants learn how to take a temperature, what to do in case their animal is choking, and how to perform CPR and artificial respiration with or without a partner, using mannequins with plastic bags inside that fill up when you blow air into their mouths.

According to Bowen, most pet owners don't seem grossed out by the prospect of mouth-to-muzzle resuscitation. Most of the 20,000 or so pet owners she met at Petapalooza in May in Atlanta, Ga., seemed excited by the prospect of being able to help their pets.

“If you don't have a mask, and it's an emergency, you want to be able to do something to help the animal,” Bowen said.

At Petapalooza, she performed demonstrations representing the Red Cross, and spoke to 20,000 people.

Knowing what to do in an emergency situation is important, Bowen said, because pets who go too long without breathing on their own or with a stopped heart may not survive.

“A lot of this stuff is a time concern,” Bowen said. “So being able to do these things and know what to do, and not panic, is really important.”

Bowen put her knowledge to work soon after her Red Cross certification when her own dog, Chloe, was bitten by a spider. Bowen gave liquid Benadryl to help with the swelling and keep her throat from closing up, and took her to the vet.

“Just by what I had learned in the class, I was able to get her situated and get her feeling better before we got to the vet,” Bowen said. “She could have died Š By me going ahead and knowing what to do and administering the medicine, I was able to keep it from progressing. It can happen very quickly.”

Bowen said knowing how to deal with animal emergencies herself and teaching that skill is “a gift to me and the animals.”

“If I can do one thing to save the life of an animal, be it through me or one of my students, then I can maybe make up a little for what happened that very bad day,” Bowen said.

Bettina Adragna can be reached at 739-2220 or at badragna@santamariatimes.com.

RED CROSS:

For more information about disaster preparedness for pets and to buy disaster preparedness kits for cats and dogs, contact the Santa Barbara County Chapter of the American Red Cross at 928-0778 or visit the office at 3030 Skyway Drive in Santa Maria.

UPCOMING CLASSES:

For information about classes, call Genete Bowen at 698-8469.

Saturday, July 26, 11 a.m.: Red Cross Santa Barbara County Chapter, 3030 Skyway Dr., Santa Maria

Saturday, Aug. 9, 11 a.m.: Red Cross Santa Barbara County Chapter, 3030 Skyway Dr., Santa Maria

Saturday, Sept. 13, 11 a.m.:

location TBA

More dates are being added as sign-ups occur.

Dog and cat classes are usually taught separately, but a double class with both dog and cat first aid on the same day can be arranged beforehand.

PET MASSAGE:

Pet massage builds socialization skills, allows pets to become accusomed to being handled, calms anxiety and fear, increases blood circulation, benefits arthritic pets, relaxes muscles in active dogs, and helps dogs after surgery. For an appointment with Bowen, call 349-3412 or 698-8469.

July 3, 2008