Some people will do anything for their pets. An Oregon woman gave chest compressions and rescue breaths to her pet bearded dragon to revive it from drowning.
Sherrie Dolezal returned home to find her three-year-old lizard, named Del Sol, face up and unconscious in his pool on Aug. 5. She started giving chest compressions and forcing air into his mouth. When he still didn't move, Dolezal rubbed his belly and hung him upside down to clear water from his mouth.
A half hour later, Del Sol opened his eyes and started to move.
The 62-year-old Dolezal took her pet out to clean and feed earlier in the day. She forgot to replace the rocks in his pool so he could climb out of the water.
"When I came back, I was sure he was dead, which just killed me because Del belongs to my great-grandson, Roberto," Dolezal told the Statesman Journal. "I really couldn't remember how many chest compressions should be given before a rescue breath, but he was blue, so I just did it. I was really amazed it worked."
The "Reptile Rescuer," as she calls herself, owns 21 lizards at her northeast Salem home. She also owns a Russian tortoise and three dogs. Dolezal has rescued animals for more than three years.
"I rescue bearded dragons," Dolezal said. "So many people get them and think they're cute when they're babies, and then they just ignore them or let them loose to die. People don't know what to do with them when they get big."
Those overwhelmed owners can bring their grown reptilian pets to Dolezal. She will either find another home for them or keep them at her house. Her pets live in a spare bedroom decorated with large rocks and tree limbs under more than a dozen ultraviolet lights and heat lamps. They feed on mill worms, crickets and vegetables near expiration.
"They eat well, and I take care of them," Dolezal said. "They're so soothing and comforting, and they make great pets."
