CPR class is for the dogs, literally

WINTER HAVEN - If you consider your pet to be part of your family, you would probably want to be prepared in case of an emergency. Experts say most pet owners aren't.

Would you know what to do if your dog or cat stopped breathing, or his heart stopped beating? Dottie Van Hoesen will after this weekend. She is going to take a class in pet CPR and first aid -- just in case anything happened to her beloved Rottie, Gypsy.

"So I figure if there is an emergency, if I know what to do before I get to the vet, if it would save her life, it's worth the time and the effort," she told FOX 13.

Instructors will show pet owners how to give mouth-to-snout resuscitation. It sounds gross, but it's not: you make a fist and blow through the center of it so your mouth stays a sanitary distance form your pet.

Students will also learn how to take their pet's pulse, and what emergency items they should always have handy.

The course is sponsored by the SPCA of Polk County and the Winter Haven chapter of the American Red Cross. It runs four hours and costs $35.

The class this weekend is already full, but another one is going to be given soon.

Call the SPCA for more information at (863) 646-7722.