Two Boys Save Dog By Alerting Couple About Deadly Algae

Two boys alerted a couple in Arvada, Colorado; their dog was swimming in a pond contaminated with toxic algae, putting an end to a potentially tragic scenario.

The owner, Brandon Morin, claimed the dog, Wallace was raised as a hunting dog. The 5-year-old black Labrador retriever is quite energetic and the apparent center of Morin’s world.

Morin claimed he trains him every other day either in that pond or another one up the road.

That Friday evening, Morin and his girlfriend, Alexandra Hedfelt were at Lake Arbor Park doing hunting drills with the dog.

That is when two boys on skateboards came up to them. Eighth graders, Aidan Bortnem and Jaxon Bryning, said they could see the dog’s head in the water. That is when they noticed something was not right.

They alerted the couple the lake has potentially deadly blue-green algae.

The Colorado Department of Public Health and Environment found high levels of toxic blue-green algae in Lake Arbor. The algae have been known to be harmful to people and can be deadly to animals.

The couple then rushed Wallace to the closest veterinarian. Doctors induced vomiting and then hooked the dog to an IV. After 24 hours, the dog got the all-clear, and the couple thanked the teens with a gift card.

The couple reflected and realized their dog would not be alive if the two boys had not come up as soon as they did to tell them about the algae.

Others have not been so lucky with their pets.

Less than a month ago, Mellissa Martin and Denise Mintz from North Carolina told media outlets their puppies, Izzy, Abby, and Harpo died after they took them to a pond in Wilmington.

Abby was the first one to show symptoms of poisoning after she had a seizure less than an hour from exiting. She was also foaming at the mouth and had a fever.

Martin took the puppies to a veterinarian, especially after Izzy and Harpo started to show similar symptoms. She claimed they were in shock like there was no way all of their dogs were going to die.

They all died in a few hours. The culprit was the blue-green algae. The North Carolina Department of Health and Human Services said the blue-green alga releases toxins that affect the liver, kidneys and gastrointestinal tract.

Local authorities in most states are now issuing warnings to pet owners to avoid ponds where there have been blue-green algae sightings.