REIGNING CATS & DOGS
By Slim Ray
Reprinted by permission of the author.
Before playing the rescuers’ version of Grizzly Adams, know your animal kingdom
Sooner
or later, most fire service personnel will rescue animals. Just as
members of the Ocean City (NJ) Fire Department. Last Halloween Eve,
a three-alarm blaze broke out at a popular aquarium, home to more than 200
snakes, alligators, lizards, turtles and sharks. When firefighters
from seven companies reached the scene, they found smoke and flames billowing
from the 1½ story structure. “You couldn’t see across the street, there
was such smoke and flames,” bystnder Norm Stapleton told the Associated Press.
Everyone thought
the menagerie had perished. Reporter John Curran wrote: “Then an 18-foot
python was found slithering through the ashes, along with two large alligators
and some small turtles. About 40 animals had survived…Firefighters sifting
through the charred wreckage of the three-alarm blaze had to figure out who was
alive, who was dead, and who might be lurking in the next puddle. ‘It would be
hard to explain how one of your men got bit by a cayman while he was fighting a
fire,’ Capt. Bill McDonnell said as he helped direct cautious firefighters into
the building.”
Fortunately,
no firefighters were hurt at the New Jersey blaze, not even Firefighter Ed Kooker,
who rescued four caymans – Central and South American crocodilians similar to alligators
but superficially resembling crocodiles. He then went back in to rescue a
5-foot alligator.
Obviously, all
fire personnel need to know how to protect themselves under feral conditions.
Firefighters
must learn how to rescue animals, and the aquarium fire is a prime example. Ask
Kooker. As he emerged from the building with that alligator—one of 12 rescued—other
firefighters rushed to his aid with duct tape, wrapping it around the animals’s
snout to prevent it from biting.
Another example:
A month before the Ocean City fire, Hurricane Floyd hit the East Coast. Two
firefighters and a National Guardsman were bitten by cats in North Carolina while
trying to help Humane Society rescuers same domestic and barnyard animals. “The
majority of the cats were like a ball of fur and razors,” Animal Control Officer
Jennifer Roberts told AP.
RESCUE RULES TO LIVE BY
First,
remember that animals don’t react to a crisis as do humans. Sounds
obvious, but you’d never know it from the movies coming out of Hollywood. Popular
films like Babe reinforce the idea that animals think and react like people. They
don’t—except that they panic, too.
Keep in mind
that, large or small, any animal can hurt or kill you. Some pass along diseases. Few
understand simple human commands, and animals that do may not respond to strangers. The
reaction of any threatened animal can be swift and violent, even lethal.
Knowing a bit
about animal behavior helps. You don’t need to be the Grizzly Adams of your
department, but keep in that that he used soft words and a slow advance to convince
most creatures he meant them no harm. Take a cue.
Most animals
will retreat from danger if they can; but when confronted at close range, they
may launch a pre-emptive attack. When approaching an animal:
1) Watch postures, gestures and actions—yours and the animal’s.
2) Move slowly. If an animal uses a threat display (i.e. a cat
arching its back or a dog with raised hair on its neck and down its spine),
consider yourself warned. With small animals, it may help to squat
or approach it sideways.
3) Avoid direct eye contact. Most animals see this as an invitation
to confrontation. Look away from the animal or toward the ground, but
keep it obliquely in your line of sight in case of attack.
4) Speak softly. If you shout at an animal or it hears you shouting
at another person, it may perceive your behaviou as aggressive. Keep
your voice low and soothing. How you say something may prove more important
than what you say. Domesticated animals, particularly dogs and horses,
often respond to familiar commands like sit, come, stop and—especially in
the case of dogs—“Outside.”
DOGS
Dogs are pack animals and most will defend their territory. Firefighters have seen dogs protecting burning homes, refusing to flee or let anyone inside. Never assume a dog is harmless until it is restrained. Pay particular heed to a dog that doesn’t bark or show early signs of aggression. Most dogs signal an attack with noise or a bluff charge, but some don’t. Before you confront a potentially dangerous dog, plan an escape route and have something to thrust between you and the dog, such as an EMS bag.
CATS
Then
there are cats. Usually, when confronted with danger, a cat will run
and hide. With no avenue of escape, it will show aggression. If
it flattens its ears and growls, attack is imminent. Cat scratches
and bites are prone to infection. So, lower your profile, avoid eye
contact and talk soothingly as you slowly approach. And be thankful
for your gloves and turnout gear.
CATS & DOGS: WARNING SIGNS
DOGS
- Head up, teeth bared, ears down, hair up on the back and neck: “I’m ready to attack.”
- Head down, tail between its legs signals: “I submit—you’re the boss.” Remember, even a cowering dog may bite out of fear.
- Front legs stretched out, back curved down, tail wagging: “Play time?”
- Head up, tail wagging, barking: “I don’t know who your are. I’m calling the boss, and you ouught to know I just may bite you.”
CATS
- Purring, fur smooth: “I’m probably feeling no fear.”
- Running away, tail high: “You scare me.”
- Arched back, tail tall, fur raised: “You frighten me, and I want you to think I’m large enough to scare you.”
- Flattened ears, low growl: “I may attack you, especially if you have me cornered.”
CATS & DOGS: HANDLING TECHNIQUES
So, you’re determined to save that crying child’s dog. Here’s how:
- Try to work from a distance. Use nooses, catchpoles and pole nets to hold a dog so others can move around behind the animal to immobilize its head and place a muzzle on it. You can improvise a catchpole from a pike pole, though it’s best to have one ready rather than trying to drill two small holes near the hook end while keeping an eye on the target. Run a cord through the holes so it forms a loop to slip over the dog’s head.
- Control the head. A dog attacks with its teeth. Hold a large dog on the sides and back of the head to restrain it.
- Use a muzzle. This disarms the dog’s primary weapon: its teeth. You can make an improvised muzzle from surgical tubing or a tourniquet. This won’t work on a blunt-nosed dog, such as a bulldog.
- Never muzzle a panting dog. Nor should you muzzle a dog on a hot day. Dog’s don’t sweat. They vent excess heat by panting. A muzzled dog may die quickly from overheating.
- To lift a dog, use one hand to control the head, then support its weight by lifting from behind its rear legs or, for small dogs, under the abdomen.
- Take a leash with you. Many dogs respond positively to being leashed.
- You can control small dogs by picking them up by the scruff (loose skin) of the neck, which controls their head.
- Transfer the dog into a pen, cage, portable kennel or other enclosure
as soon as possible.
Think you’re ready to try a cat? Then:
- Carry a large towel or blanket to throw over and immobilize it. Remember, though, it can still bite or scratch through the cloth. With gloves on, quickly wrap up the animal.
- Control a cat by picking it up by the scruff of its neck. This controls the head and keeps the cat from biting you, as well as keeping its claws away from your body. Then grab the cat’s back legs with your other hand. This immobilizes the cat and makes it impossible for the animal to attack you.
- Use a sack or large bag for temporary holding or transport. Put the cat in the bag tail first and quickly secure the top. Make sure it has adequate ventilation. Do not use a pillowcase because a cat can shred it in short order and escape.
- Use a cage or carrier for long-term holding or transporting a cat.
Slim Ray co-authored River Rescue with Les Beschdel and has written numerous articles on flood rescue and river safety. He teaches and consults and is an instructor-trainer for Rescue 3 International. Ray is president/CEO of CFS Press (www.cfspress.com) in Asheville, NC. His most recent book is Animal Rescue in Flood and Swiftwater Incidents.