Construction Worker Saves A Dog’s Life By Giving Him CPR

3-year-old German Shepherd, Jett, was playing a game of fetch when he suddenly got the ball stuck in his throat. The 120-pound dog was struggling to breathe, and his owner, Teresa Perkins, was frantically racing to get her precious pet to the vets in time.

As she was driving down the road, she encountered a traffic jam due to some construction that was happening. That is when a Virginia construction worker became a hero by saving the suffocating Jett.

Stuck in the middle of the traffic jam, a frantic Perkins didn’t know what else to do except start honking her horn in a desperate attempt to get the attention of the construction workers. Responding to her honks, three construction workers approached the car.

Perkins shared with the Staunton News Leader, “By then my dog was pretty much dead. He was laying in the car, not moving. I had heard him breathe, like gasping, but then he quit. I was frantically crying and praying.”

One of the construction workers reached down Jett’s throat and managed to dislodge the ball. However, Jett remained limp and unresponsive, not breathing. One of the other construction workers suggested that the one who’d dislodged the ball try to give the dog mouth-to-mouth as well.

As Perkins said, “And he did.”

Perkins assisted him by compressing Jett’s chest as he breathed into Jett’s mouth. Finally, he was able to tell Perkins, “he’s awake. Perkins broke down crying, extremely grateful that Jett was saved.

She said, “He would have died if I didn’t stop. He would have been dead. If I had driven 10 more minutes, he wouldn’t have made it.”

While Perkins was beyond grateful, she also had to get Jett to the vet for a check-up, and in her haste and shock, she didn’t get the name of the man who heroically saved Jett’s life. Once she was back home with Jett, her daughter, Bliss Nuckols, posted about the incident on Facebook, hoping someone could help track down the construction worker.

As it turned out, the man was Cavaja Holt – and he had also posted his side of Jett’s story to Facebook as well. The two were able to reconnect through social media.

Holt had posted on Facebook, “Today is the first time I’ve ever stuck my hand down a strange dog’s throat for any reason but I got the ball out… Not only that but it is the first time I’ve ever given any living animal mouth-to-mouth.”

Perkins and Jett both returned to the construction site in order to personally thank Holt, as well as get some pictures with Jett’s savior. Perkins called Holt a “hero,” and stated that Jett “is never, ever, ever, ever going to get a ball again.”

Holt is a true hero for getting involved and saving Jett. Well done!