During an Aug. 11 visit to Lake Anne with his family, Lance A. Hamilton, a police officer with the Fair Oaks District Station, gave his dog Bailey mouth-to-snout resuscitation after the dog was injured near a dock.
The Citizen's Advisory Committee gave Hamilton, who was off duty at the time of the incident, the Officer of the Month award for August during its Sept. 25 meeting.
HAMILTON'S WIFE Leslie was throwing a ball into the water for Bailey to fetch. Then Leslie's grandmother yelled that something was wrong with Bailey. After seeing Bailey motionless in the water, Hamilton's brother-in-law pulled the dog out of the water. With the help of his uncle, Greg Dunphy, Hamilton performed cardiopulmonary resuscitation, or CPR, on the dog. Hamilton held the dog's mouth closed and gave him rescue breaths through the nose while Dunphy gave chest compressions. After about one minute of CPR, they revived Bailey. Then Hamilton drove him to the nearest veterinary clinic, which was in Fredericksburg.
Bailey spent two nights at the animal clinic before being released with medication. The veterinarian who cared for Bailey said the dog was electrocuted and had water in his lungs from having his head submerged after he was shocked. An electrical problem on the dock was found soon after and fixed before anyone else could be injured.
Bailey's accident protected others - including family members - from injury and Hamilton's quick work almost certainly saved the dog's life.
Russell Porter, the chair of the Citizen's Advisory Committee and a member of the Fairfax County Law Enforcement Foundation's Board of Directors, said the board voted to give Hamilton the award because he deserved some recognition and the police department is only allowed to give awards to those officers who save lives.
"He saved the dog's life that saved the children's lives," Porter said. "He indirectly saved humans and that's why we thought it would be nice to give him an award from us."
Although Hamilton saved the dog's life, the dog saved the life of the children who may have been electrocuted if Bailey had not gone into the water first.
"IN A SENSE, Bailey saved some lives that day," said Amy Lubas, the police station's captain. "Officer Hamilton is certainly deserving and Bailey should get a bone, too."
Bailey received a small plush bone for his deed. In addition to the award, Hamilton received a certificate for a dinner for two at Texas De Brazil restaurant.
Hamilton, who said he was scared to death while his wife and kids were going crazy, said he is happy with how everything turned out.
"He's perfectly healthy and fetching," Hamilton said of his dog, Bailey.
<sh>Other Honorees
<bt>* Officer Donald Amos won the Officer of the Month award in May when he dug through the trash to find evidence as part of a sexual battery investigation.
* Officer Aaron Pfieff won the Officer of the Month award in July after he conducted a persistent investigation of a car accident involving a 13-year-old boy and his habitual offender grandfather.