Page 55 - English Expedition Class 2

‘What’s the matter?’ asked Dr Herriot. ‘It’s our dog . . . In the back seat of the car.
He’s got a ball stuck in his throat. I . . . I think he might be dead.’ In a second the vet
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was out of his car. Rushing to the young man’s car he could hear the wailing of little
children. They were crying, ‘Oh! Benny . . . Benny . . . Benny.’
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The vet quickly opened the door. He could dimly see a large dog spread over the
knees of three small children. ‘Oh Doctor, he’s dead, he’s dead!’
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‘Let’s have him out,’ the vet said urgently . The young man and the vet picked up
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the dog and gently put him down on the road. It was then that he saw that the dog
was a huge one. He was upset that the dog’s mouth was open, his tongue was hanging
out and his eyes staring lifelessly at nothing. He wasn’t breathing. The vet could hear
all of them crying.
‘What did you say about a ball?’ the vet asked the young man.

‘It’s in his throat.’
The vet pushed his hand into the dog’s mouth. He could feel a ball there. It was
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jammed like a cork in a bottle, blocking the dog’s windpipe . The poor dog couldn’t

5 rushing: moving fast 10 jammed: stuck; not able to move
6 wailing: very loud crying 11 cork: a piece of wood pushed into the mouth of a bottle
7 dimly: not clearly to close it
8 urgently: hurriedly, in a concerned way 12 windpipe: the pipe in the throat that carries air to the
9 gently: in a kind, soft manner lungs
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