Our owner and dog behaviorist trainer was with a client when they witnessed a terrible accident. Bruce showed calm under pressure and balanced helping someone in need with caring for his client.
It started as an ordinary training session. Bruce Allen was working with Brittany Runyon and her two, 165-pound Great Danes who were aggressive with one another.
As a training exercise, Bruce and Brittany lead the two dogs on a walk, paying close attention to any behaviors that might lead to a fight. They were just half a block from the client’s house when they witnessed something horrific.
They saw a truck reverse and crash into the garage of a nearby home. The driver was unconscious at the wheel, and his foot was still on the accelerator. Flames and smoke quickly began pouring out of the garage.
Bruce held the pair of Great Danes while Brittany rushed over to open the driver’s side door.
The door was locked. It was also bashed into the garage, and there was no way to get in or out on the driver’s side of the vehicle.
Bruce handed the dogs to Brittany and entered the garage to find something to break the truck’s windows. The homeowner heard the commotion and joined them. Bruce asked her for a hammer, but she was frantic and locked in a state of shock.
Thinking quickly, Bruce found a skateboard in the garage and used it to break the glass, unlock the door, and turn the ignition off. A neighbor, a member of the Denver Police Department, came over to help.
With more help on the scene, Bruce left to return the dogs to his client’s home. Although he had been working with the Danes on their aggression for three months and the dogs were not showing any signs of bad behavior (a true testament to the progress made), this was a highly stressful situation. Breaking up a 165-pound dog fight would have been the last thing they needed.
When Bruce returned, Brittany and Taylor Mance, another neighbor, had pulled the driver out of the vehicle. A call was placed to 911, and EMS and the fire department were on the way.
Brittany, an ER nurse, was unable to get a pulse on the driver. Bruce, who is CPR trained, and the Denver PD neighbor took turns performing CPR on the unconscious motorist.
A member of the Jefferson County Sheriff’s Department was the first to arrive on the scene and administered a dose of Narcan to no avail. Bruce and the neighbor continued to perform CPR. A second dose of Narcan was given to the driver, but he remained unresponsive.
EMS arrived and gave the patient a third dose of Narcan. The driver finally regained consciousness and was rushed to the hospital. The fire department put out the blaze in the truck and garage. The nightmare was finally over.
For “putting themselves in potential danger to save a stranger”, Bruce, Taylor, and Brittany were presented with the Citizen Citations of Merit by the Jefferson County Sheriff’s Office.
