BELMONT, N.C. — A dog is recovering at an emergency animal hospital after being impaled while bounding over a fence Saturday in Belmont, Channel 9's partner the Gaston Gazette reported.
Mary Anne Dixon found her Labrador, Wilbur, stuck on the wrought iron fence in her backyard when she returned home from running errands.
With the help of some nearby workers, she and other family members held up the 90-pound dog until New Hope firefighters arrived to the home on South New Hope Road.
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Firefighters used a battery-powered tool, normally used to free drivers from wrecked cars, to saw off a portion of the fence to avoid hurting Wilbur further.
Dixon and her family rushed the dog to a Charlotte clinic where veterinarians told them that the metal rod that impaled him near his tail did not puncture any of his vital organs.
Wilbur has been recovering at the hospital since then and is expected to return home in several days.
Some of the firefighters involved with the rescue followed up with Dixon to find out how Wilbur had fared.
Dixon said she appreciated their help.
"They were absolutely fabulous," she said. "They were very caring and gentle with him."
Dixon said she thinks Wilbur was trying to chase a bird when he jumped up on a bench near the fence and then tried to hop the fence.
She said she plans to remove any furniture near the fence and may build a different type of fence that does not have sharp points at the top.
Read the Gaston Gazette's original story.