A 2-year-old black Labrador retriever was back to his “normal, goofy self” Monday after he got into some methamphetamine at a Gillette park four days prior.
Every day, Michael Frith takes his 2-year-old black Lab Tator to Dalbey Memorial Park and walks around the lake for a mile, Michael’s wife Dolores told Cowboy State Daily on Monday.
Michael likes to throw a tennis ball for the dog during their walk.
“So I guess when (Tator) was returning the tennis ball he somehow ingested methamphetamine,” said Dolores, adding that no one is sure whether the dog ate or snorted the meth, or how much he consumed.
About 40 minutes later, man and dog arrived back home — but the dog was not right.
“His tail was wagging a thousand miles an hour, thumping on the hardwood floor,” said Dolores. Usually Tator crashes on the couch after a visit to the park, but she said this day “he couldn’t lie down; he was just excited. He was kind of staring off into space.”
He was agitated, restless, happy and bobbing his head back and forth, Dolores recalled. And his symptoms kept getting worse.
The Red Hills Veterinary Hospital was able to see Tator that day. After an assessment, the vet called for a drug test, Dolores said.
The dog’s blood came back positive for meth.
The Friths then took Tator to an emergency veterinary clinic in Rapid City, South Dakota, which has all-night staffers who could keep an eye on the dog.
Cops Were On It
On the way there, Michael called the Gillette Police Department to report the incident, but learned that Red Hills had already reported it and GPD personnel were combing the park with at least one drug detection dog, Dolores said.
“They found nothing,” she added, a fact which Gillette Police Department Lt. Brent Wasson confirmed to Cowboy State Daily Monday.
That was a bittersweet revelation. On the one hand, it meant Tator had consumed all the meth at the park. On the other hand, it meant Tator had kept any children from getting into the meth.
“But better my dog — I hate to say — than a child. So, we’re grateful it was him instead of a kid,” she said.
By Friday morning Tator was still lethargic from being sedated, but he’d had an IV flush and he’d had both food and drink. The hospital released him.
“He made it through,” said Dolores. “He’s back to being his normal, goofy self.”
Clair McFarland can be reached at clair@cowboystatedaily.com.
