# risking a human life for a dog



## selzer (May 7, 2005)

Many of us believe we would rush into our burning home to save our dogs, or beat a shark off to save our dog, or jump into a frozen river to save our dog (I did this). 

Should we expect or even hope that a fireman or Good Samaritan would risk their lives to save our dog?

I do not know how I would cope if someone died saving my dog(s).


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## rjvamp (Aug 23, 2008)

Have you ever read the story of "Just a Dog"?

That is why I voted Yes.... Cause those that think its "Just a Dog", "Just Don't Understand"

http://www.grendoxdachshunds.com/just_a_dog.htm

Just a Dog

From time to time, people tell me, "lighten up, it's just a dog," or, "that's a lot of money for just a dog." They don't understand the distance traveled, the time spent, or the costs involved for "just a dog." 

Some of my proudest moments have come about with "just a dog." Many hours have passed and my only company was "just a dog," but I did not once feel slighted. 

Some of my saddest moments have been brought about by "just a dog," and in those days of darkness, the gentle touch of "just a dog" gave me comfort and reason to overcome the day. 

If you, too, think it's "just a dog," then you will probably understand phases like "just a friend," "just a sunrise," or "just a promise." "Just a dog" brings into my life the very essence of friendship, trust, and pure unbridled joy. "Just a dog" brings out the compassion and patience that make me a better person. 

Because of "just a dog" I will rise early, take long walks and look longingly to the future. So for me and folks like me, it's not "just a dog" but an embodiment of all the hopes and dreams of the future, the fond memories of the past, and the pure joy of the moment. 

"Just a dog" brings out what's good in me and diverts my thoughts away from myself and the worries of the day. 

I hope that someday they can understand that it's not "just a dog" but the thing that gives me humanity and keeps me from being "just a human." 

So the next time you hear the phrase "just a dog." just smile, because they "just don't understand." 



Authored by Richard A. Biby


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## ILGHAUS (Nov 25, 2002)

The question was


> Quote: Should we expect or even hope that a fireman or Good Samaritan would risk their lives to save our dog?



*Expect?* -- No, I would not expect that another person would risk their life for *my* dog. 
*Hope?* -- I would hope that someone would go to an extra great effort to save one of my dogs.
*Want?* --No, I would not want someone to put their life in grave danger for one of my dogs. Such a person's life is much more valuable than the life of any of my dogs.

Now does it happen that people risk their lives for someone else's dog? Yes, it does happen. I've been on scene of a house fire where a firefighter walked through a burning room, fell partially through a floor, and had to be rescued himself because he had seen a dog on the other side of the room. 

There are variables and degrees of risk. A situation could be grave but with the proper equipement and training the chance of harm is lessened. When I speak above of risk it is in their cases where the odds are more to the end of the spectrum where a person puts themself into a situation where they could be seriously injured or killed vrs a situation where the chance of serious injury is very low. A firefighter puts his life at risk each and every time he enters a burning structure, but that risk could be very low up to a very high probability.


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## arycrest (Feb 28, 2006)

> Originally Posted By: ILGHAUS
> *Expect?* -- No, I would not expect that another person would risk their life for *my* dog.
> *Hope?* -- I would hope that someone would go to an extra great effort to save one of my dogs.
> *Want?* --No, I would not want someone to put their life in grave danger for one of my dogs. Such a person's life is much more valuable than the life of any of my dogs.


I can't say it any better than what TJ said here.


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## MustLoveGSDs (Oct 31, 2008)

For someone with the job such as a fireman I would expect them to since they are public servants.

Coming from a fairly misanthropic viewpoint, I vote yes. 

****, dogs put their life on the line and are helping us everyday. (police, therapy, SAR, and MWDogs )


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## Ilovealldogs (Nov 17, 2006)

I would run in myself and get my own pets!


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## MassiChewSits (Mar 10, 2009)

1)http://www.wickedlocal.com/holliston/news/x1445721883/Holliston-firefighters-save-dog-trapped-on-ice
2)http://www.msnbc.msn.com/id/29500770/wid/7468326/
3)http://www.thebostonchannel.com/news/18659837/detail.html
4)http://www.newsday.com/news/nationworld/ny-usdog0308,0,6160395.story

There have been quite a few stories like this over the last few winters. I think firefighters,generally, are trained professionals who take calculated risks. In the case of ice rescues, I'm sure they train and have the proper equipment to stack the odds in favor of success.

My rekindled interest in GSD's came about because ABC news did a story on how the military is now allowing families to adopt retired war dogs(picture an Iraq war veteran female sniper-hunting GSD having her belly rubbed by two little girls in the backyard of a nice family home-it's justice). The story reminded me of the all thousands of lives canines have saved by their sacrifice (and how the GSD is a noble creature). I myself think we humans owe dogs something and should, within our own limits, help a dog in need. Have there not been a few common folk who have jumped out of their cars to pull a lost dog of a busy highway?


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## BucksMom (Aug 13, 2007)

> Originally Posted By: Arycrest
> 
> 
> ILGHAUS said:
> ...


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## sgtmom52 (Aug 30, 2008)

> Originally Posted By: ILGHAUS
> *Expect?* -- No, I would not expect that another person would risk their life for *my* dog.
> *Hope?* -- I would hope that someone would go to an extra great effort to save one of my dogs.
> *Want?* --No, I would not want someone to put their life in grave danger for one of my dogs. Such a person's life is much more valuable than the life of any of my dogs.


My thoughts also!

I spent 28 years as a police officer and although it is not the job of a firefighter or police officer to attempt to rescue animals ~ I have seen it many times and respect and honor those who choose to do so.


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## lhczth (Apr 5, 2000)

Agree with TJ. My hope, though is pretty high.


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## rjvamp (Aug 23, 2008)

> Originally Posted By: ILGHAUS
> Such a person's life is much more valuable than the life of any of my dogs.


Although I respect the view....I disagree. Humans, unfortunately, have done the horrors we have seen around this world - the holocaust, war, creation of bio-agents, experimentation on non-humans and even humans for drug trials. Dogs haven't done this.

I would say dogs teach us better how we should be as humans. Have fun and enjoy life. Forgive easily. Love unconditionally. Not worry about tomorrow.... I could go on and on.


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## ragingbullm (Nov 25, 2007)

"Humans, unfortunately, have done the horrors we have seen around this world" <-- Dogs haven't created any horrors or great inventions because they don't have the mental capacity to do so... Can you name anything great a dog has created? How about something great a human has created? There you go. TJ's answer pretty much summed up my thoughts... I would never expect a fireman to go into a burning building to save my dog.. The only thing I would expect from them is to make way 'cause I'm goin in!


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## GSDolch (May 15, 2006)

I think hope and expect can be looked at two different ways. I would hope that it could happen, but I do not expect it to happen.

I do not put the life of my dog over that of a humans. Sorry but I dont. I love my dogs, they are family and if it came to a fire, then I DO hope that they are able to be saved, but my first thought is my kids and husband.

We should not expect police and firefighters to go after animals. Its not always realistic, and while alot of them would do it if/when they can, they still have to maintain their saftey, the saftey of other officers/firefighters and any person/s or bystanders in/around the house.

An example. We had a HUGE fire at an old abandoned two story nursing home. It was BAD. Literly, we had three different counties there and that still wasnt nearly enough. Someone said something about some cats being in there. Should any of them risked going in? NO! They would have been putting themselves in severe unnecessary danger if they had. Maybe if it hadnt been so bad, it could have been possible, but like I said, it was bad. (It was suspected that someone set the place on fire on purpose)

It would be nice to say that YES, they should, and there are ALOT of them that would and will if its possible, but we should not expect it of them.

There were a few firefighters who were upset about the cats. To tell them that they were expected to go in and get them, with no regards to the saftey of themselves or others to me isnt right in the least.

As to dogs being "just a dog" in a sence, they ARE dogs. They are not humans. Doesnt mean that they should be loved or cared for anyless or any less part of the family. But they arent people, and while yes, people do horrible things, people also have the possiblity of doing great things. And yes, dogs do great things, but you have to remember that these dogs with jobs, were taught and trained to do that job, by a person.

But in short, I put no, as I do not expect anyone to go in after my pets. I would hope that they would/could, but realisticly it is not always possible to do so and for some, to be told they are expected to and cant, only makes their job harder IMO.


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## Riley's Mom (Jun 7, 2007)

> Originally Posted By: MustLoveGSDsFor someone with the job such as a fireman I would expect them to since they are public servants.


Public servants does not unfortunately extend to the pet population. 

I'm not saying all Fire Depts work like what I'm about to tell you, but my guess is at best that most do. Most if not all Fire Depts are required by law to attend the same training as every other dept so it's my guess this mindset is what's taught at training sessions. I got this directly from the Fire Chief himself.

You know those "Please save my dog in case of fire" type stickers for the windows in your house? Save your money, they don't mean diddly squat. Firefighters don't look for them and if they do see one, it's is not going to prompt them to honor the request.

Instead of repeating myself, here's the blog article:
http://www.rileysplace.org/save-my-pet-stickers-48.html


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## Riley's Mom (Jun 7, 2007)

> Quote:I spent 28 years as a police officer and although it is not the job of a firefighter or police officer to attempt to rescue animals ~ I have seen it many times and respect and honor those who choose to do so.


Julie's hit the nail on the head. Saving our pets is not part of the job description of either position - those days are long gone. But there are those fellow pet lovers holding these jobs that WILL try. If they don't die trying, you can bet they're going to catch heck from their bosses for doing so. 

So, if you wind up having your pet saved you not only owe them a huge thank you for saving your pet, but an additional one for bucking the brass and more than likely going against orders for which some bosses will dole out repercussions.


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## scannergirl (Feb 17, 2008)

That's an interesting question. I voted no because the chance a person, possibly with children, might die attempting to save my dog or one of my horses for that matter is an unacceptable risk. That's why I try my BEST to keep them safe from fire- my horses are not stalled and therefore will never die in a barn fire, and if the woodstove is on and nobody is home Lucy is out in her kennel. I see it as the lesser of two evils and try to assess ALL risk when deciding where she is safest. You can't prevent everything but you can TRY- and you also can't expect a person to risk his or her life for an animal.


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## rjvamp (Aug 23, 2008)

> Originally Posted By: ragingbullm"Humans, unfortunately, have done the horrors we have seen around this world" <-- Dogs haven't created any horrors or great inventions because they don't have the mental capacity to do so... Can you name anything great a dog has created? How about something great a human has created? There you go.


Dogs have created tons of good memories for me, of which I will be cashing in on when I retire  They can also create an income for people who breed them or show them  But I digress....



I love these type of poll questions because they are so fun to see how people respond. It reminds me of the game of lifeboat....which can be used in the same scenario. What if there was a fire and a fireman could only save 1 person yet two were equally capable of being saved, yet time would only allow for one. Who would we expect the fireman to save and who should he save? The two people are a baby and a senior citizen. Would the baby be chosen because of the future potential of what he/she could do with their life and therefore benefit society or would the senior citizen be chosen, who most likely has stopped contributing to society and no longer creates anything new?

I have to say thank you Sue for writing this question. It is a very good, thought provoking question. Reminds me of my college days when I was taking a philosophy course. There are no right or wrong answers but certainly views and beliefs we all hold as personally true for us. And it is how we most likely would act or respond in a particular situation given our own personal values and beliefs.


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## Catu (Sep 6, 2007)

Simple, a Fireman, or anyone else shouldn't risk his/her life to save even the life of my child. It's the first thing anyone involved in rescue learns. It is not about if the live of the animal is something valuable or not, is about rescue itself, their goals and what happens to the whole picture when a rescueman gets injured or killed.


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## ILGHAUS (Nov 25, 2002)

> Quote: Firefighters don't look for them and if they do see one, it's is not going to prompt them to honor the request.


I didn't bother going to the blog that says these are not important. Rather I've talked to many firefighters who say they are.

Having such a sticker may not prompt a firefighter to honor the request? Not quite sure what all that entails, but when you become a firefighter you take an oath to the best of your ability to protect the citizens and their property. It is also drilled into the heads of firefighters to stay safe to return to the firehouse and to their own homes and families. 

Those stickers which so many people say are worthless, we've had that discussion here before, also have their believers. These stickers do save animal lives. They alert a firefighter to keep their eyes open for a specific animal. One story I like to tell is of a friend / past member of this site and the time she entered a home fire and noticed such a sticker by the door. It had said there was a pet snake in the home. Well, she is not really a fan of snakes (pet ones included) but she said when she saw a glass aquarium in the family room she told herself that inside was someone's loved pet. She did not make a special trip into that room to save the snake but while passing through doing a quick search for people she quickly reached into that tank and grabbed the snake. She then stuffed it into one of her pockets to keep it safe from the excessive heat and also because she could not hold onto it and do her job. When she finally was able to exit the structure and someone came up to help her off with her gear she asked if they could please first remove the snake from her pants pocket. 

I've heard of many stories where firefighters have existed buildings with reptiles, birds, and other pets stuffed under a jacket if possible or else just carried out. And many of these were homes where no one was present that knew there was a pet inside. Sometimes it is just having a heads up to know to keep an extra lookout for the pet. 

You may be surprised at how fast a firefighter can do a search of a room that is full of smoke and flames. There is no reguard at that time of neatness. Furniture is knocked away from walls, beds overturned, and items knocked out of closets, stuff kicked out of cupboards. These are favorite hiding places of children (and pets)and the worst fear a firefighter can have is passing a child by who is hiding. So while doing a search for people, a firefighter who has notice will also look harder for a pet. 

I guess you can tell that I am a believer in these stickers.


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## ILGHAUS (Nov 25, 2002)

> Quote:a Fireman, or anyone else shouldn't risk his/her life to save even the life of my child. It's the first thing anyone involved in rescue learns.


Oh OK. I am dumbstruck with this concept.


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## selzer (May 7, 2005)

The first thing I am supposed to do when administering first aid is to make sure the site is safe (for me). It does no one any good if there are two of us dying there. For example, if I high power wire is lying near by, it does not help for me to get zapped too. 

However, firemen go into burning buildings which is ALWAYS a risk of their lives, to save people. If pets are there and they can get them with minimal risk, I guess I would hope that they would. 

But if they go out of their way, spend more time, and risk their lives significantly more, I know that I should not expect this or hope this. 

I also believe that human lives are more important than dog lives. I say this when I live only with dogs, my pack. They are my babies, the children I never had, etc., etc. But they will not be leaving a mother, father, siblings, progeny that they are responsible for and will suffer for them. Yes, they may have progeny, siblings, parents living with them, and yes they will get depressed for a few days, but it is simply not the same as a person's life being snuffed out. 

I hope that if I ever die saving my dogs from a hazard, my parents will forgive me and understand that watching my animal die and not doing anything to save it would be unbearable for me. But I just cannot expect someone else to do that for one of my dogs. That too would be hard to bear.


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## Cooper&me (Dec 18, 2007)

When Iwas a teenager my elderly boxer went missing. I was out for hours lookining and when I found her in a deep ditch I jumped in without thought of how I would get either of us out.

We both spent a long cold night in that hole. The first person to find us was scared of my dog but helped me out. My dog was frantic I was going to be the only one saved. The man wouldn't help with my "pit bull" so I jumped back down the hole. This jump landed wrong and I broke my leg. Smart I know.

The "good semaritan" did call 911 and all was well in the end.

My parents did ground me for a month for being so reckless.


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## aubie (Dec 22, 2008)

As the wife of a firefighter I can say that it comes down to several things:

1. The FF's always have to determine the structure of any facitlity before they send anyone in it. This comes down to firescience and can usually be determined quickly (that's why most FF fatalities you see are normally from volunteer departments where there isn't as much training).

2. Human life first

3. Animal life comes down to the choice of the FF. There is nothing that says they have to get animals out. My hubby, would. If the scene's secure and humans are out and he comes across pets, he'll get them out and has done so before. They had a huge fire with a house with a basement full of cats...they got them out and called our local vet who came out and helped to save what they could. 

4. We have the Animals Inside ASPCA stickers on our door, he says they are a waste of time, but we still have them. 

5. If it comes down the owners of the house being out, but the pets are still inside and the scene is safe, my husband will go in and find the animal so the owner's don't make a rush decision...unless it's a snake. He'll leave that.


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## aubie (Dec 22, 2008)

I guess I should add, that I would want him to go in and save someone's pet, as long as his life isn't in "immediate" danger, which may sound funny since how much more immediate do you get then going into a burning building. I wouldn't want him to do it for a human life either in the same situation...but these guys know their limits and I trust that, it's part of the job.


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## GSDolch (May 15, 2006)

> Originally Posted By: aubieI guess I should add, that I would want him to go in and save someone's pet, as long as his life isn't in "immediate" danger, which may sound funny since how much more immediate do you get then going into a burning building. I wouldn't want him to do it for a human life either in the same situation...but these guys know their limits and I trust that, it's part of the job.


I understand what you are saying. Like with the fire I talked about at the old nursing home. Basically the only thing they could do was keep it from spreading and let it almost burn itself out. Luckily it was old and abandoned. But for many many hours, if any of the firefighters atempted to even try to go in, I dread to think that they probably wouldnt have mad it out. (heck, they couldnt even get in!)

Not the same as when I set a bag of sugar on fire on my stove. Dangerous yes and could have got bad, yes, but, on a scale of things.........lets just say the firefighters got to make fun of me for that one.


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## Riley's Mom (Jun 7, 2007)

> Quote:You may be surprised at how fast a firefighter can do a search of a room that is full of smoke and flames. There is no reguard at that time of neatness. Furniture is knocked away from walls, beds overturned, and items knocked out of closets, stuff kicked out of cupboards. These are favorite hiding places of children (and pets)and the worst fear a firefighter can have is passing a child by who is hiding. So while doing a search for people, a firefighter who has notice will also look harder for a pet.


Thank you for that. What a breath of fresh air compared to what I was told by my Fire Chief. He assured me these stickers are totally worthless, they don't look for them and if they find a pet in a crate for example, all they do is open the door and let the poor terrified animal out to fend for itself. That to me seems unsafe for the firefighters to have a freaked out dog or cat running around inside a burning house trying to find a place it feels safe when at the time there is no such place. It seems so much safer if the crate is of a size that will fit through a window to get it out that way. If it won't fit through the window, pick it up and carry the whole thing out the door - at least then the firefighters can be safe from being bitten by a panicked dog. 

My Fire Chief really made me angry with his "I don't give a %$#@ about the pets" response. It's very comforting to hear it's not always like the way he tells it.


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## AQC82 (Jan 19, 2009)

I do not expect anyone to risk their lives to save my dog but sure would hope someone would care enough depending on the circumstances to go the extra mile to see to their safety. As a police dispatcher we do fire calls as well and it is policy to notify officers and engineers enroute if there are any people or animals known to be inside a burning house. Obviously their safety and the safety of the owners come first but it is nice to know they are thinking of the animals and if given the chance will ensure their safety as well.


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## mmarie (Feb 25, 2009)

I chose not to vote because of the way the question is worded, sorry.

As far as *expectations*--no. I do not *expect* a fire fighter/police man risk his life for my dogs, let alone a Good Samaritan. I do expect that if someone hears my barking dogs (and if safe to do so) they at least open the door so that my dogs might find their own way out.

As far as *hopes*--obviously I hope that the world is ideal and someone can run in, save my dogs that mean so much to me, and run out safe and unharmed. I wouldn't hope someone die at the expense of my dog's life, I simply hope that in case of emergency Karma does me a favor and gets everyone--human and animal--out safe.

Having said that, if my living room has an electrical spark or some freak accident and there is a small fire when I am not home, and the fire is contained in the living room, and my dogs are seen running up the stairs as fire fighters enter (mind you my living room and stairs are on different sides of the hosue) I would expect one to go up and get my dogs before they jump out of a second story window or something. If you don't catch my drift, I'm talking about not letting my dogs get so freaked out by a low-risk situation that they harm themselves.


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## LARHAGE (Jul 24, 2006)

I too would never " expect" anyone to risk their lives trying to save my animals, I also don't want to be prevented from trying to do it myself, I'm an adult, rational human fully capable of making decisions. 6 years ago we had a huge fire in the mountains near my property, at 2 in the morning the police started to force everyone to evacuate. I told them I had to get my dogs/cats and horses out where as he told me they were " insignificant', I told them I would rather die trying to save them, than live knowing I didn't do a **** thing to help them. He told me they would not come back my way again and I had to make my own life decision. I respected that, and thankfully my best friends came from 40 miles away in the dead of night and we loaded all the horses and dogs and cats and everyone escaped safely, it was terrifying but the horses bless their hearts loaded like champs even as flames and ash and smoke were everywhere.

I remember there was a fireman here in California that not only rescued 2 Yorkies from a burning building, but even performed CPR to revive one that was unconscious, he even started crying when it started to breathe, a lot of the Fietrucks have oxygen masks on the rescue units that are specifically for dogs/cats.


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## mmarie (Feb 25, 2009)

> Originally Posted By: LARHAGEI too would never " expect" anyone to risk their lives trying to save my animals, I also don't want to be prevented from trying to do it myself, I'm an adult, rational human fully capable of making decisions.


It can be pretty scary living in California, I don't remember a year where there WEREN'T huge fires. Our recent move has put us in an area with more brush/open dry-ish fields. I would like to say that if one of them were to go up in flames I would be capable of making a rational decision, but my heart knows it would be very difficult. I, too, think I would insist on doing my best to get my animals out even if it meant being there at the last possible second.


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## ldpeterson (Feb 13, 2005)

I wish they would, but no, I don't *expect * them to.


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## Shandril2 (Nov 26, 2003)

> Originally Posted By: Arycrest
> 
> 
> > Originally Posted By: ILGHAUS
> ...


Same here.


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## Tahoe (Apr 20, 2009)

My favorite story that would fit into this thread is when a US Marine and his Shepard were wounded in Iraq. Unfortunately the Marine did not survive, may the Lord take him and keep him, forever the Marine Corp nursed the dog back to health and presented him the Marine's parents so they may have that last friendship of their son as a gaurdian and companion.


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## TxRider (Apr 15, 2009)

Expect? No.

Hope? Hmm..

Depends on the level of risk. If it's a 50-50 shot at losing life trying then no, if it's a 1 or 2% chance then it's not a bad thing to save the dog.

Like saving a dog stuck in ice, yeah there's a risk but not a whole lot.

A building engulfed in flames? nope, too high risk.


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## 3K9Mom (Jun 12, 2006)

I just posted a story on another thread about how two guys were in front of my house -- clearly, they were up to no good, and Camper and Zamboni were staring them down, defending our property. I had stepped inside for a minute, heard Camper's low bark that said something was wrong, saw the guys and closed the door as I called 911. I was terrified as my mind played out all of the scenarios. 

I realize that a lot of pet owners might think "how could you leave your dogs out there when it clearly was a dangerous situation?" I agonized during those few minutes as the dogs drove the men off our road. What if the men had guns or knives and rushed the dogs? My dogs were defending me and our home. What was I doing to defend them? Isn't it my job to defend them? 

Yes. And yet the scenarios of being assaulted, raped, killed, whatever kept me behind that closed locked door. 

I HAVE dangled off a sheer rock face because my dog got herself stuck taking a game trail (dogs don't understand that you need to make sure you can go DOWN before you climb UP). I am rather certain that I would lunge in front of a car to push my dog out of the way. 

But I learned that there are circumstances where I am not brave enough to put my dog's life above my own. It's not whether my dog should live or I should die. It's the circumstances. 

I no longer expect that a stranger would do the same. If she can, I hope she will. But she has a family and/or friends and/or pets to go home to as well. 

We practice family drills just so that if there is a house fire, getting the dogs out is something that we can accomplish on our own. We have plans in case of earthquake as well. Having lived in California, my feeling is that you leave as soon as the authorities say there may be an evacuation. Why wait until there's a line up of cars, and you have to chose whether to leave the dogs behind? Even when we ride the ferries here in WA, I have plans (we bring the dogs PFDs and leave them free in the cars so we can get them off the ferry quickly ourselves.).

I've just learned that life is a whole lot more complicated than a yes/no answer.


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## meisha98 (Aug 27, 2008)

This is a tough one. I also don't "expect" someone to risk their life, but if there is a chance and they can make an attempt, I figure where most people are good at heart, they will. I wish people would look for those stickers because myself and many people I know do go to the trouble of posting them and keeping them current for a reason! I figure it is a time saver for all.


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## doggiedad (Dec 2, 2007)

would you run in to get someone elses??



> Originally Posted By: IlovealldogsI would run in myself and get my own pets!


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## selzer (May 7, 2005)

If I knew a dog was trapped in a crate, and I knew where the crate was, and I felt that the danger was not so bad yet, but would probably be out of the question by the time emergency personnel came, then yes, I would try to save someone elses, or at least I hope that I would have the guts to do so. 

I would most likely die in the attempt though. I know fire is so dangerous and smoke that it is hard to gage how bad is too bad.

So if I went in after the dog and got in trouble -- like having an asthma attack and passing out or something like that. Then by the time the fire trucks got there, there would be a person trapped inside, and it would seriously endanger the firemen to try and save me. 

I guess you hope and pray you are never in the situation in the first place and if you are, then you make the best decision you can and run with it. 

Sitting here typing is a far cry from facing smoke and flame. "A man is not known who has not been proved."


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## LARHAGE (Jul 24, 2006)

A couple of years ago my little JRT was a puppy and we were walking out to the corrals to get a horse, I live in the desert and my property is in the middle of the desert, I saw a snake coiled up under some brush at the same time my JRT did, he ran and I jumped and put my foot out to deflect the snake as it struck at him and bit me on the foot, I was wearing cowboy boots so it didn't penetrate, thankfully, it wasn't a rattler, but my thinking was that it was, and I in thought quickly enough in those few seconds that if it was a rattler, I had a far more likely chance of surviving it than my 8 pound puppy, my family was furious with me, but oh well, I'm a rational adult and I love my dogs as if they're my children. I wouldn't however, expect a stranger to do the same thing.


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## AK GSD (Feb 27, 2008)

Well, several years ago I tried to be a good samaritan and save someone else's dog but was unable to do so. I still play it back in my mind, questioning if I did enough. Would I have done more if it had been my own dog? It is haunting.

The incident involved a stray dog falling through rotten ice in the middle of our lake. I tried to safely reach it by breaking ice out to it but it quickly succumbed to hypothermia. The ice went out on the lake the next day. Then I had the task of answering the lost dog ad. Several months later my poor husband had the grim task of retrieving the body when it surfaced


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## ArmyGSD (Apr 27, 2009)

As a police officer I would do what I must to save an animal, as a firefighter also I definately make an effort to "Scan" for animals, if I don't find them, then I am meant to assume they are outside, or unfortuately already heading toward the Bridge. But I would make that effort, and I do. I would like to think others out there would do the same.


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## Sasha's Family (May 10, 2009)

GermanShepherd Dogs Will try and risk there lives for ours so we should try and save them because if you think deep they Are always Alert Basicly protecting us.


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## Daisy1986 (Jul 9, 2008)

I answered yes....it was a very tough question.

I just know if faced with the situation...if they did not I would.


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## AZGSD (May 20, 2009)

OK I did fire / EMS for 10 years; so a big yes on this one for me. 

More over if some moron says that is not fire's job to address animal issues / rescue when the risk is reasonable (being a little bit vague here deliberately) ask them this -- you respond to a 5 room house with a room and contents fire. Unoccupied, no exposures. Of course we all know fire will make entry and commence interior firefighting to attempt to save the structure / contents for the family who owns it. Firefighters can and have died doing just this but why? Why not surround and drown from the outside and say forget the value of the structure, and any belonging in it? 

Fact is fire's charge is to protect life and mitigate property loss, so NO MATTER HOW YOU look at animals they are fire's problem when the risk / benefit is reasonable in the opinion of those fighting it. Again being vague here because it's always unique and we are not always right that is why guys sometimes die in the line of duty. We seek to minimize that of course but none the less fire risks life and limb for property every day, it's their job so they dam well can do so for animals when called upon. 

If anyone wants to argue with an a-hole fire chief; use these terms and and you will win the argument or at a minimum get their attention. 

BTW as well we get lots of injured animals in that fire HAS rescued and cared for so those of you who have run into twit's in fire are running into exceptions in my opinion.


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## pjindy00 (Feb 19, 2007)

I think I pretty much agree with TJ's orginal post - with the caveot that if it's reasonably safe to try to get my pets, please do so.

For that reason, however, I keep my pets in rooms that are easily accesible from the outside of the house - to help prevent the need for someone to tromp through a burning house to get to them (the only exception is my rat who is in my bedroom). Our cats and dogs are kept in rooms that for the cats have low windows on the side of the house that has a lot more room than the other side, and for the dogs their crates are in the room with our patio door. The doors to these rooms are kept shut when we are gone. There are multiple reasons for this, but making it most likely that my pets can be saved factors in as well.


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## ILGHAUS (Nov 25, 2002)

Slightly off from OP question but related to topic ...

Much like what we do for our children, I believe that a dog or cat would benefit in seeing a "friendly firefighter" in their funny clothes. I've worked with children, Service Dogs, and Service Dogs in training, and am about ready to begin on a more formal style with some fosters and pets. This is helpful for those animals that need exposure for access testing be they working or just pets that are taken out into the public and would also be of help if the need ever came up for a firefighter to rescue your dog or cat. 

Example: A pet who had experience with receiving treats and gentle strokes from a gloved hand would be less likely to try to dodge one.


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