Donations sought for burned dog's care

From the ashes of a house fire Sunday night in Olney, a community is raising the prospect of hope for the homeowner’s dog, whose future is uncertain after it was severely injured in the flames.

Annie Oakley, a 5-year-old yellow Labrador retriever, is in critical condition at Flathead Pet Emergency after her owner rescued her from his flame-engulfed house just minutes before it collapsed.

Austin Loomis of Eureka said she received a call from the homeowner after the fire department arrived at the home, where he also maintained a machinery workshop. She said he had left the house to use the phone and turned around to see the entire building on fire.

“He busted out the window and pulled Annie out — she was sitting on the bed and it was engulfed in flames,” Loomis said. “His kitten, Mow Mow, jumped out after them and Annie ran and rolled in the snow.”

Loomis said she immediately called her friend Megan Evans, a veterinarian technician who drove up from Kalispell the next morning.

“When I got to her, infection had already set in. She was panting and trembling and I could tell she was running a fever already,” Evans said Thursday. “She’s retaining a lot of fluid under her skin caused by the extreme heat exposure. This is when things are going to start being the worst for her; it’s kind of a wait-and-see game right now to see if her body starts responding.”

Annie suffered burns on her hip and thigh so deep they scorched the muscle tissue.

Evans said she was still unsure whether the dog would lose her left eye, which was badly burned and beset with infection by the time she got her to the clinic about 60 hours after the incident. She said she is also paying close attention to the dog’s liver and kidney functions, which appear to have some damage as well.

In response to Annie’s plight, donations for the dog’s care have been coming in for a fundraising campaign Evans started at gofundme.com. Within the first day, more than $1,000 was raised.

“I’d like to get her back to her owner with no vet bills outstanding because I don’t think he needs to worry about that right now, in correlation to losing everything else,” Evans said, adding that Dr. Dean Aldridge at the animal hospital had agreed to donate facility space and allow Evans to be the pro bono primary caregiver for the dog.

That said, Evans noted the first 24 hours’ worth of intravenous fluids, painkillers, antibiotics and other medications had racked up a $1,300 bill. She encouraged people to give whatever they could and noted that many local businesses, including the Sprouts Club in Evergreen, Carlson Chiropractic and Central Valley Animal Hospital in Kalispell, Great Northern Veterinary Center in Lakeside and the Dairy Queen in Bigfork are taking donations for Annie’s care.

“Sprouts Club also donated some baby-sitting time to me, so I’ve been about to go out and post fliers,” Evans added.

Since becoming involved, Evans has spent practically all her spare time caring for Annie and working on the fundraising campaign. She said she didn’t return home for 12 hours the first day.

Evans had never met Annie before she drove her to the animal hospital, but Loomis was quick to share her favorite memories of her friend’s Lab.

“She is the sweetest girl I have ever met, even with all that pain and no pain meds … every time she saw somebody she was wagging her tail and trying to give them kisses and everything,” Loomis said. “She basically had free roam of lakefront property, and during the summer her favorite thing to do was sit on the side of [her owner’s] WaveRunner and ride it with him.”

On Thursday afternoon, Evans said Annie was still in critical condition, but she remains hopeful the dog would begin showing signs of recovery over the next couple of days.

To donate to Annie Oakley’s recovery, visit www.gofundme.com/klvvj0 or www.facebook.com/groups/603574196442721.

Reporter Samuel Wilson may be reached at 758-4407 or by email at swilson@dailyinterlake.com.