Lee’s Summit, Mo. (WDAF) — A U.S. Army Reserve Iraq war veteran risked his own life again on Tuesday to save a stray dog. Aaron Schneider witnessed the dog get hit by a car whose driver failed to stop on Interstate 470 East in Lee’s Summit, Mo.
Schneider crossed three lanes of traffic on foot and put himself in between oncoming traffic and the dog until he was able to coax the injured beagle off of the interstate, according to reports.
Initially, he tried picking the beagle up, but the dog was in substantial pain and was defensive, so Schneider called 911 and was then referred to animal control for assistance.
Schneider waited nearly three hours in the rain by the dog’s side and was able to gain enough trust with the beagle to get him onto a makeshift stretcher and into the back of a friend’s pickup truck.
“At the end of the day, my combat lifesaver training kicked in, and I’m thankful I was able to use it to help him,” said Schneider. “Having served in Iraq, you see a lot of loss, which is one of the reasons I was determined to see him make it.”
Schneider and his friend took the approximately five-year-old beagle to Chipman Road Animal Clinic, where he was stabilized and veterinary staff named him Buster. Due to the nature of his extensive injuries, Chipman’s veterinarian referred him to BluePearl Veterinary Partners specialty and emergency hospital for pets in Lee’s Summit.
Specialists from BluePearl administered an emergency blood transfusion and are continuing to provide supportive care for Buster’s five broken ribs, torn windpipe and internal bleeding.
Buster remains in the intensive care unit at BluePearl, but is expected to make a full recovery.
“Without question, had Mr. Schneider not have helped Buster get to a veterinarian, he would have died from his injuries,” said Dr. Brian Lucas, a board-certified veterinary internal medicine specialist with BluePearl.
Attempts to identify Buster’s family have failed, so in addition to Schneider’s heroic actions, he intends to give Buster a permanent home with him once he is discharged from the hospital.
