Hard hat on, Mango's ready for anything 2008 throws at her.

The ruddy 2-pound poodle was featured in a story in The Oregonian newspaper last month after her doctor-owner saved her life with cardiopulmonary resuscitation. But just as she was recovering, the Lake Oswego pooch almost bit it again.

Mango's first near-death experience occurred on Thanksgiving. She was in the wrong place at the wrong time: in the path of a pot of stuffing accidentally knocked off the kitchen counter as Dr. Joe Stapleton, an anesthesiologist and superior chef, prepared his family's holiday turkey.

Mango quit breathing and her heart stopped.

As his wife, Roxanne, drove to an emergency veterinary clinic, Stapleton gave mouth-to-snout resuscitation and administered chest compressions. His quick work saved the fluffy 1-year-old dog and made her famous:

After other newspapers reprinted the story, the family heard from a Seattle TV station and producers for Jay Leno's show, interested in giving Mango a couple more licks of fame.

She almost didn't live to taste it.

On Dec. 28, Joe Stapleton got home from work and walked into the kitchen. Mango raced to greet him. Stopped short by a new gate the family had installed to keep their dogs out of the kitchen, Mango jumped.

Up, up, up she went before gravity took charge and Mango landed.

On her head.

She flopped onto her side, unconscious.

The Stapletons knew what to do. As Roxanne drove again toward the emergency veterinary clinic, Joe started CPR. About halfway there, Mango came to. But she spent the night at the clinic on intravenous fluids, medicine and oxygen. By the next morning, the tiny dog seemed to feel better and went home.

Still, she's suffered two blows to the head that might have killed her, and she's still wobbly. Her vet recommended that until she's steady on her paws, Mango should use caution.

Of course, it's tough to impress restraint on an ebullient poodle pup. So when none of her human companions are around, Mango spends her time in a soft-sided baby playpen.

And when the Stapletons are with her, they strap Mango into a new safety device that suits her poodlelicious style: a hot pink hard hat.

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Katy Muldoon is a staff writer for The Oregonian of Portland, Ore. She can be contacted at
katymuldoon@news.oregonian.com.