Keeping an eye on dog-related news items is part of compiling DogCast Radio, and it seems there have been some unusual mishaps recently.
The most serious – and certainly the saddest, involves an elderly Border Collie in Wisconsin who found himself frozen to the sidewalk overnight. His owner (who was arrested) claimed that she was unable to free him from the sidewalk, and so checked on him regularly throughout the night. Apparently it was only being overweight that saved the dog’s life, as his layers of fat acted as insulation, stopping his temperature dropping too far. His eventual rescuers had to poor warm water over his feet to unstuck them – heartbreaking isn’t it?
By comparison a British dog got off lightly when he got stuck down a well. Perhaps lightly isn’t the right word, as the dog in question is a bull mastiff weighing almost ninety pounds. After one brave firefighter descended into the well shaft and attached a harness to the dog, it took four firefighters to haul him up to the surface.
Meanwhile, back in America, two women who attempted to locate a lost German Shrort Haired Pointer from a New Jersey park, found themselves stuck thigh-deep in mud. By that stage, the only way to rescue them was to bring in a police helicopter and lift both them and the dog out.
Probably the strangest rescue I’ve come across in the news recently was a dog who needed rescuing from a sofa. Yes you read that right – a sofa; a couch, a settee! The unusually unlucky German Shepherd dog jumped up on the sofa to give his owner some attention, and her leg became jammed between a footrest and the seat. Firefighters were again called in to help, and had to cut the dog free, and do it fast to avoid the risk of amputation. Happily the dog was fine, but the sofa was destroyed. Touchingly, the owners didn’t care about the sofa, as long as their beloved dog was safe.
I’ve heard of various reasons not to let your dog get up on the furniture, but never that it might have to be cut free with bolt cutters!
Take care,
Julie x