A ruff lockout
Karyn F. Saved in Wellington
Recently widowed and adjusting to life on her own, Karyn arrived home with her two rescue dogs when an excited paw locked the car, leaving the dogs inside and Karyn stranded in the pouring rain.
With the engine running and the car blocking the driveway, Karyn called the AA. Help arrived quickly, unlocking the car and bringing an overwhelming situation to a kind and reassuring end.
“The AA didn't just unlock my car that night. They rescued two dogs, a drenched widow, a blocked Wellington driveway and what remained of my dignity.”
The best rescues help in ways that go beyond the road.
Read Karyn's full story
"I had recently been widowed and was adjusting to life where every problem, large or small, was suddenly mine to solve.
One evening I drove home from work in absolutely pouring rain, having collected my two rescue dogs. It was Wellington rain – horizontal, relentless and accompanied by wind that turned umbrellas into weapons.
I stopped at the bottom of my shared driveway to collect the mail. I couldn't quite reach the mailbox through the window. Leaving the engine running, headlights on, wipers battling, I jumped out and shut the door so the interior wouldn't get soaked.
Inside, my dogs knew they were home. Home = dinner. Dinner = excitement. They bounced around the car until one furry paw hit precisely the right button...Click.
Central locking... I stared at them. They stared at me...
The car sat running, lights blazing, wipers sweeping, completely blocking the driveway. I was outside drenched while two extremely pleased dogs sat snugly inside.
I tried reasoning with them. I pointed at the lock and said, "Push it!"... Nothing. Apparently "dinner" was within their vocabulary. "Unlock the car" was not. I ran to my neighbour and called the AA. It was a filthy night and they were busy, but the lovely person asked the important question: "Are there any children locked in the car?"
I looked at my two furry dependants... "Well... sort of."
The AA was wonderful – they came quickly, reassured a frazzled widow and treated my canine emergency as though it genuinely mattered. Minutes later, the car was open. Two delighted dogs emerged, entirely unconcerned by the chaos they'd caused, wondering why dinner was late.
I've never forgotten that call-out. I'd recently lost my husband and kindness mattered enormously. The AA didn't just unlock my car that night. They rescued two dogs, a drenched widow, a blocked Wellington driveway and what remained of my dignity.
Although, to be fair, I think the dogs had already made off with that.
And yes, they got their dinner. The AA deserved theirs too."
Karyn F. AA Member for 31 years
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