911 Caller Admits Daughter Was a Dog
— -- C O V I N G T O N, La. — Canines and 911 don't mix.
Camille Wood, 19, is in the doghouse with the St. Tammany Parish Sheriff's Department after a frantic 911 phone call last Tuesday.
Wood said her 3-year-old daughter was not breathing and that she needed emergency medical help. As the dispatcher sent help, she learned Wood's "daughter" was a female mutt named Aurora Faye.
"The dispatcher asked what color the baby was — to see if it was turning blue," said department spokesman James Hartman.
"She said, 'I can't tell; my baby's covered with fur.'"
Officials insist it was clear Wood was trying to mislead the dispatcher, but the woman denies the claim.
"If I intended to mislead them about the species of my daughter, I would not have said she was a dog," she said.
Wood said she was merely panicking because her dog had lost consciousness, and said she often calls her pets "children."
"I have two sons and two daughters, and they're all animals," Wood said. She added that she had a dog named Frisco Otis, a rabbit named Hopper and a chicken called Ellie Mae.
"All of my kids are extremely good kids," she said. "If they stop breathing, they deserve help just like a person would."
Wood said she tried to take the sick animal to a local veterinarian. When she arrived at the location to find the animal hospital was no longer there, she called 911.
When the response team arrived, they took the Wood and Aurora May to another animal hospital, and cited her for misusing 911.
"While we understand that many people regard their pets as members of the family, summoning lifesaving personnel via 911 is inappropriate to say the least," Hartman said.
If convicted, Wood faces a fine of up to $500 and 30 days in jail.
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