Canine rescuer wins award Dog's efforts avert drownings
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Julie Whittaker poses for a photo with her great-niece, 2-year-old Kyleigh Todd, and her dog Margaret May at Lake Overholser in Oklahoma City. By Steve Gooch, The Oklahoman
Yet the more Whittaker struggled to get out of Lake Overholser, the farther down the ramp she slid into the murky water.
It took a 28-pound Pembroke Welsh corgi, short on legs but long in heart, to save Whittaker and her 2-year-old great-niece, Kyleigh Grace Todd, from drowning that afternoon.
The rescue earned the dog, Margaret May, the Oklahoma Veterinary Medical Association's 2007 hero pet award, said veterinarian Ron Mollet, the association's president-elect.
Margaret wears a hero dog medal around her neck. She's a member of the Oklahoma Pet Hall of Fame. Her picture and story are found in the September issue of Dog Fancy magazine. And she's taken a ride in a limousine and appeared on national television since being honored with the award.
"I never imagined Margaret would do something like this,” Whittaker, of Yukon, said. "But she is so highly intelligent.”
Whittaker and Margaret return sometimes to the rock near the spot where the dog made the rescue just off E Overholser Drive and NW 30. The water is much higher and swifter this year. Whittaker still has a hard time telling the story without breaking into tears.
"I come out here to reflect, but I don't bring Kyleigh,” she said.
Sept. 11, 2006Feeding the ducks on Lake Overholser's east side was a common way for Whittaker to spend time with Kyleigh and Margaret.
About 4:30 p.m. on a hot afternoon, Whittaker saw a woman and child leave the lake and noticed no one else was in sight. Feeling uncomfortable that no one was around, Whittaker asked Kyleigh and Margaret to head back to the car.
When Whittaker reached down to help Margaret — who suffers from a bad hip — over a concrete barrier, Kyleigh took the chance to bolt straight into the water. The lake level was low then due to the drought and the water was calm, but the toddler lost her footing and slid down the ramp into the lake. Neither Kyleigh nor Whittaker knew how to swim.
Whittaker saw the girl go under.
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