As parents, we teach our young children to call 911 for emergencies. If our kids discover that someone is seriously hurt, suddenly can’t be woken up or has an accident and can’t move, grab the phone and call for help.
Little Natalie Coulter was playing with her mom Brittany’s old cell phone. It hadn’t been used in years, so what’s the harm?
“I’ve always given her a dead phone to play with to pretend she’s calling somebody and I never thought anything about it.”
When Natalie discovered that her stuffed bunny had a boo-boo, she knew exactly what to do. It wasn’t to take it to grandma to be sewn up. It wasn’t to show her mom and ask for help.
Natalie pretended to call 911 and ask the best of the best to save her bunny. Except that her emergency call actually went through!
Two Fort Collins police officers were dispatched to Natalie’s home for a disconnected 911 call. They had no idea what to expect upon arrival, since no one told the 911 dispatcher what sort of mishap was unfolding on the other end of the phone.
When Officer Dane Stratton knocked on the door, Brittany answered and invited him and an officer named Joshua into her home. Neither she nor her mom realized that Natalie had called 911!
Even though the phone was old and deactivated, it could still call 911 and that’s exactly what happened when Natalie called for help with her furmergency.
“Dispatch told us they could hear a child’s voice on the phone but they weren’t getting any response from them.”
Officer Dane was generally concerned about Natalie’s bunny and its health. He asked her what was wrong with it … and so sparked one of the cutest conversations we’ve heard in a while.
“A scratch!”
In audio released by the Fort Collins Police Department, you can hear Brittany explaining that the phone is not in service and she had no idea it could still dial 911.
Officer Dane focused on the bunny and Natalie, entertaining her and helping solve her predicament.
“She’s got a scratch where? Should we go find a Band-Aid?”
Officer Josh radioed in to dispatch and explained that they were tending to a stuffed bunny while Officer Dane assisted in applying life-saving Band-Aids resembling pizza and ice cream to the bunny’s wound.
Then Officer Dane educated little Natalie through a gentle pep talk about when and how to use 911. The important lesson was explained by the officer in the best way.
“Well hey, just so you know, we’re here to help whenever you need us, okay? Natalie, if bunny’s hurt, we don’t need to call 911. But if you’re hurt or mommy’s hurt, absolutely call us, okay? If you do call 911 for mommy being sick or grandma being sick, just make sure you talk to the people on the phone and let them know what’s going on, okay?”
The whole experience left Brittany stunned and so happy that the officers handled the situation the way they did.
“We just got on the floor and started playing with her. It was just great. It was really great.”
Officer Dane emphasized that no officer wants a child to be frightened of an officer or hesitant to call 911.
“The last thing that I want is for kids to be scared of us to — be scared of the services we can provide and to not come to us when they need help.”
The police department shared the adorable encounter on Facebook where people applauded how the officers engaged with Natalie the way they did. The department also had a little fun with the whole experience.
“If your stuffed animal is having difficulties, we’d advise consulting someone with sewing experience. If your actual animal is having a medical issue, please contact a veterinarian.”
The police department also encouraged parents to take measures to avoid accidental 911 calls by putting the phone in airplane mode. Also, don’t hang up but instead, stay on the line and inform the dispatcher that it was an accidental call, because each call including hang-ups must be investigated.
How adorable is this story out of Colorado? Watch the video below and see for yourself how cute they are.
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