Jack Russell Not Fast Enough to Beat Closing Garage Door

Keryn Anderson called it her Jack Russell terrier’s “Indiana Jones” moment. The 15-year-old dog’s attempt to run under a closing garage door, however, didn’t have an action hero ending.

“We had just pulled our car into the garage,” said Keryn of Mount Pleasant, Mich., “Our dogs had come out, excited to see us. I started to head inside the house and had pushed the button for the garage door to close. Out of the corner of my eye, I noticed that Teuer had gone out onto the driveway. I think he must not have heard the door closing until it was too late. I saw him do his best dive under the door, but it came right down on his back, pinning him to the ground.”

Teuer let out a yelp, and Keryn pushed the garage door button to send it going back up. “I didn’t realize this,” Keryn said, “but when you do that, the door stops completely, so Teuer was completely trapped.” Keryn pushed the button again, and the door finally began to rise. “I picked Teuer up, and he was shaking and making little grunting noises. I took him to our veterinarian right away.”

Fortunately for Teuer, the garage door hadn’t caused any serious injuries. The veterinarian performed X-rays and used a catheter to check for internal bleeding; both came back negative. Teuer was sent home with muscle relaxants that also helped him sleep through the night.

“Oh, Teuer’s fine today!” Keryn said. “The whole thing just really draws attention to how you have to watch your little doggy friends – especially when they come through the garage door.”