Allegedly impaired driver hits car that hit dog

A Gardnerville man was arrested Thursday afternoon on suspicion of driving impaired after running into the back of a car that clipped a dog.

Joshua Procaccini, 32, was booked into the Carson City Jail on misdemeanor driving under the influence of drugs, following too closely and driving without proof of insurance.

According to the arrest report, the accident happened at Koontz Lane and Ponderosa Drive about 5:25 p.m.

A tow-truck driver called to haul off Procaccini's vehicle told a deputy it smelled of marijuana, and Procaccini allegedly admitted to smoking marijuana earlier in the day, the report states.

Fire Capt. John Arneson said that when he and his crew arrived, a black-and-white cocker spaniel was lying in the road. Despite the sirens and activity around it, the dog remained there while a nearby homeowner brought out a blanket to cover its body and stroked its head, said Arneson.

"It was a sweet little dog," he said.

After clearing the human victims at the scene, and learning that Carson City Animal Services could not immediately respond, Arneson said he made the decision to load the seemingly wounded dog onto the engine and take it to the veterinary hospital on the way back to quarters.

"It was a little heart-wrenching," Arneson said of the sight. "The homeowner gave us a piece of plywood, and basically we put the dog on the plywood and took it to the vet."

Carson Tahoe Veterinary Hospital technician Hannah Coburn said that when the three firefighters walked into the office carrying their patient on a makeshift stretcher, there was a concern that the animal couldn't walk.

"So we gave him an IV catheter, put him on fluids, and gave him pain meds," she said. "And then he got up and walked."

The remainder of the night was spent cleaning up the dog's bloody nose, cutting out mats from his coat, and trimming his foot hair.

"And we played with him," she said.

Arneson said he called the vet later that night and learned the dog was going to be fine.

"I am the owner of two dogs," he said. "For a while there, I thought I was going to be the owner of three."

On Friday morning, an animal control officer picked up the dog. It is now at the shelter on Butti Way.

Anyone with information on the dog is asked to call Animal Services at 887-2171.

• Contact reporter F.T. Norton at ftnorton@nevadaappeal.com or 881-1213.