Enlightened Pet Behavior Podcast
Jun 23, 2026 · 33 min · 10 segments
I’m Aubrey, a Certified Pet First Aid Instructor, and I work with pet professionals who want to feel properly prepared — not just hopeful that they’ll know what to do. I’ve supported dog walkers…
Susan LightHost
I don't want to say I love it, but I'm in Los Angeles and there's a lot of swimming pools.

I think a lot of people assume that dogs and cats can swim so that it's not necessarily dangerous if they fall in their pool, but that's not necessarily true, yeah?
Yeah, especially with pools and pool covers.
So if they slip underneath that pool cover, there is nowhere to go.
And I know with children, it's the same sort of concern, especially with smaller dogs.
And if you don't have an escape route for them to get out, then you're looking at some trouble.
So with things like pools, making sure that those are covered up, making sure that They don't, first of all, have really access to it.
So fencing around it.
In terms of looking at drowning from a river stream, water like ocean, sea sort of stuff, that's where it really gets dangerous.
And you shouldn't be afraid to call emergency services to assist you in that.
I teach that a lot in my classes.
It's not going to be feasible for you to go into the water after they're If it's something like that, because just like in people where animals are going to panic and they're going to go, well, I'm just going to climb on top of you to try to get out of the water, which for them, great idea.
But for you, even a confident swimmer, it doesn't matter how confident of a swimmer you are.
If someone is sitting on top of your head, sitting on top of your shoulders.
That is really going to impact.
I swim five days a week, but there is no way if I'm going to go after somebody or something, I'm going to be able to keep myself above water as well as them without some sort of
So when you're calling emergency services as well, if you get stranded out there and there's an animal, they're going to prioritize you first, which means ultimately you're leaving that animal out there longer.
And if you just handle emergency services, they could go out and help the animal and then you can be safe yourself.
A lot of what I teach, not only just for drowning, but for all sorts of other emergencies is you You can't help the first casualty if you're the second one.
So you have to do a scene safety survey, whether it's traffic with cars.

I don't want to say I love it, but I'm in Los Angeles and there's a lot of swimming pools.

I think a lot of people assume that dogs and cats can swim so that it's not necessarily dangerous if they fall in their pool, but that's not necessarily true, yeah?
Yeah, especially with pools and pool covers.
So if they slip underneath that pool cover, there is nowhere to go.
And I know with children, it's the same sort of concern, especially with smaller dogs.
And if you don't have an escape route for them to get out, then you're looking at some trouble.
So with things like pools, making sure that those are covered up, making sure that They don't, first of all, have really access to it.
So fencing around it.
In terms of looking at drowning from a river stream, water like ocean, sea sort of stuff, that's where it really gets dangerous.
And you shouldn't be afraid to call emergency services to assist you in that.
I teach that a lot in my classes.
It's not going to be feasible for you to go into the water after they're If it's something like that, because just like in people where animals are going to panic and they're going to go, well, I'm just going to climb on top of you to try to get out of the water, which for them, great idea.
But for you, even a confident swimmer, it doesn't matter how confident of a swimmer you are.
If someone is sitting on top of your head, sitting on top of your shoulders.
That is really going to impact.
I swim five days a week, but there is no way if I'm going to go after somebody or something, I'm going to be able to keep myself above water as well as them without some sort of
So when you're calling emergency services as well, if you get stranded out there and there's an animal, they're going to prioritize you first, which means ultimately you're leaving that animal out there longer.
And if you just handle emergency services, they could go out and help the animal and then you can be safe yourself.
A lot of what I teach, not only just for drowning, but for all sorts of other emergencies is you You can't help the first casualty if you're the second one.
So you have to do a scene safety survey, whether it's traffic with cars.
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