E5 got a call from Powderhorn Park workers about a dog trapped on the island. Animal Control said they wouldn’t deal w/ a dog over open water or ice. We responded to check it out. We’d been there earlier in the day to pre-plan responding in case someone went through in the next couple days. Spring break is next week, and the weather’s in-between, so we wanted to be ready in case a kid goes in.
We spotted the dog. I mulled it over: safety factors vs. public service. There was ice covering the majority of the lake, open only at the shore (and not deep). One of my crew knows the area, has trained with me before, is familiar with the Mustang suit (FFR B. Pena). I felt comfortable with his abilities; plus, he has dogs and is smart about them.
The guys suited up, secured themselves with safety ropes to the shore, and another rope to the row boat, and used the city row boat to skitch across the ice–about fifty feet or so. The dog had been there since late last week, most likely, since the ice melted four or so days ago. Several people stated they’d heard barking over the past few days (FFR Pena included) but hadn’t seen anything.
It was a very small dog, Bichon-esque. Once on shore, I had the guys try to calmly approach the dog. He was scared; I had them sit down and let him come to them. It worked.
We had our own personal ropes and some food from the park building ready, but I wanted to give our BART bag a shot. The treats were a bit crushed and stale, but the dog didn’t complain. The nylon slip lead worked fine.
Some thoughts: this was a nine-pound dog, tops. Even still it was struggling like crazy on the leash, esp when they tried to put it in rowboat for safety. FFR M. Wagner ended up holding the dog mostly, squeezing it gently to calm/subdue it. We got it to shore, grabbed a towel from the park guys, rubbed it off and brought it inside to warm up and drink some clean water. Then we waited for Animal Control to arrive. If it had been larger, he wouldn’t have been able to safely carry it and
cross the ice.
As they approached the boat launch/dock, the ice began to break apart. It was about eight inches thick still, but it broke is sheets. I was able to take the dog and secure the boat and their safety lines (water wasn’t deep at shore, either).
I passed the dog to the park manager and assisted the crew in getting cleaned up.
There was no need to check respirations, nor stick our fingers in its mouth or groin. The dog had been in exposure for several days: it needed food, warmth–a medical check wouldn’t hurt. There is no need nor purpose for us to do more than we did. If it’s sick, we can’t heal it. If it’s scared and biting, we’ll lock it in a room.
This call provided a nice real-world opportunity to look at animal rescue in a practical sense. I’m glad it turned out well for all
involved.
MFD Engine 5
Captain J. Norton
Acting FMO B. Pena
FFR M. Wagner
Ice/Open Water Puppy Rescue
Published March 25, 2009 10:18 pm · Rescue Stories
E5 got a call from Powderhorn Park workers about a dog trapped on the island. Animal Control said they wouldn’t deal w/ a dog over open water or ice. We responded to check it out. We’d been there earlier in the day to pre-plan responding in case someone went through in the next couple days. Spring break is next week, and the weather’s in-between, so we wanted to be ready in case a kid goes in.
We spotted the dog. I mulled it over: safety factors vs. public service. There was ice covering the majority of the lake, open only at the shore (and not deep). One of my crew knows the area, has trained with me before, is familiar with the Mustang suit (FFR B. Pena). I felt comfortable with his abilities; plus, he has dogs and is smart about them.
The guys suited up, secured themselves with safety ropes to the shore, and another rope to the row boat, and used the city row boat to skitch across the ice–about fifty feet or so. The dog had been there since late last week, most likely, since the ice melted four or so days ago. Several people stated they’d heard barking over the past few days (FFR Pena included) but hadn’t seen anything.
It was a very small dog, Bichon-esque. Once on shore, I had the guys try to calmly approach the dog. He was scared; I had them sit down and let him come to them. It worked.
We had our own personal ropes and some food from the park building ready, but I wanted to give our BART bag a shot. The treats were a bit crushed and stale, but the dog didn’t complain. The nylon slip lead worked fine.
Some thoughts: this was a nine-pound dog, tops. Even still it was struggling like crazy on the leash, esp when they tried to put it in rowboat for safety. FFR M. Wagner ended up holding the dog mostly, squeezing it gently to calm/subdue it. We got it to shore, grabbed a towel from the park guys, rubbed it off and brought it inside to warm up and drink some clean water. Then we waited for Animal Control to arrive. If it had been larger, he wouldn’t have been able to safely carry it and
cross the ice.
As they approached the boat launch/dock, the ice began to break apart. It was about eight inches thick still, but it broke is sheets. I was able to take the dog and secure the boat and their safety lines (water wasn’t deep at shore, either).
I passed the dog to the park manager and assisted the crew in getting cleaned up.
There was no need to check respirations, nor stick our fingers in its mouth or groin. The dog had been in exposure for several days: it needed food, warmth–a medical check wouldn’t hurt. There is no need nor purpose for us to do more than we did. If it’s sick, we can’t heal it. If it’s scared and biting, we’ll lock it in a room.
This call provided a nice real-world opportunity to look at animal rescue in a practical sense. I’m glad it turned out well for all
involved.
MFD Engine 5
Captain J. Norton
Acting FMO B. Pena
FFR M. Wagner