January 2010
Patti has been nominated for the
AKC Responsible Dog Ownership
Public Service Award by the Dog Writers
Association of America
for her article in DogSport Magazine.
The winner will be announced at the Association's annual banquet, February 14, 2010 in New York City.
IN CASE OF FIRE…DON’T FORGET THE DOG
BY
Patti Lawson for
DOGSPORT MAGAZINE (June/July 2009)
I was in a quaint gift shop shortly after my dog Sadie agreed to come live with me and spotted a bright reflective sticker that said: IN CASE OF FIRE…PLEASE RESCUE DOG. I bought it only it because I was smitten with my little pooch and I bought all things dog. I never thought I’d actually need it. Sadie was a four-legged smoke alarm…jumping on me each time I forgot and left eggs boiling on the stove until they exploded. Then one bone-chilling Saturday in January…the second night in our new house…we found ourselves in a state of dreadful fear, panic and confusion in the midst of a very real nightmare…a house fire.
Move weary from lugging and tugging and pounding and putting away, I’d given my girl a bath and dragged myself up to the second floor for a shower. A very agitated Sadie greeted me when I came out of the bathroom to a strange chemical/smoke odor. I didn’t think the faux log in the fireplace was the cause, and a quick sniff confirmed it.
Sadie’s panicked actions increased as the strange smell intensified. I followed it to the exterior kitchen door, placed my hand on the knob and was alarmed at how hot it felt. I grabbed the dish cloth, and got the door open only to be overwhelmed by smoke and the sight of flames.
I immediately called 911, threw my phone aside, grabbed a coffee pot of water and ventured back out the door to the storage room where the smoke and fire raged. I threw the water on the fire, ran back into the kitchen, shut the door and began filling the coffee pot again. It was incredible how much smoke had made its way into the main part of the house in only a few seconds, so while the water filled the coffee pot, I ran past my frantic dog, and opened a sliding glass door to let in fresh air.
After several trips from kitchen sink back to the fire…each time just throwing water where I saw flames until they were no longer visible, I heard the sirens of the fire truck and called for Sadie. No response. I ran upstairs…downstairs…screaming her name…back to the fire room…out to the driveway…raised the garage door…no Sadie anywhere.
As I dashed back into the house, I noticed the curtains blowing in through the open door, grabbed a flashlight, and ran out into the huge dark yard looking for Sadie. No shoes, wet hair, below freezing temperatures, wearing only a nightgown and bathrobe, I stumbled through the unfamiliar terrain shining the light in hopes of seeing Sadie. Slipping, falling, and crying I ran like a mad woman breathing hard, desperately shining the flashlight for any sign of hope…and then my light landed on two eyes over in the most distant corner by the gate that was roped shut. Sadie was desperately clawing at the rope trying to escape the yard. I lowered my voice and slowly approached her…grabbed her collar and started dragging her trembling body back towards the house. I could see the lights of the fire trucks on the road below, and knew they would arrive momentarily.
Sadie hates the sound of sirens in the best of times, but coupled with the smoke and the fire, she was determined not to get closer, digging all four of her long and very strong legs into the ground. I knew I had to get her somewhere safe and out of the way before the trucks arrived.
I kept speaking reassuringly to her…well as reassuring as my trembling hoarse voice could manage…up the hillside…onto the deck…across the deck…out the gate…to my Jeep which mercifully was unlocked. I opened the door and she bolted inside.
Our story ended well enough…minimal damage to a large room that was mainly for storage, smoke inhalation and a burned knee, some missed work, and one very terrified dog. It could have been worse…and yes, it would’ve been my fault. A simple plan for such a disaster is easy to prepare and implement, but I’d never thought to make one.
Forty thousand pets are killed in house fires every year. Search Google and you’ll find almost four million hits…sad stories of pets lost in the horror of a house fire. I made the right first step…I bought the sticker…had even transferred it to the new house, but I didn’t have the sense to think this could happen to me… and it can happen to you.
Your house can be quickly destroyed by a fire…particularly in the winter from space heaters, fireplaces, or candles. The fire chief said the culprit in our fire was an accumulation of paint rags, cleaning materials, and construction debris all packed tightly in boxes in the storage room near an exterior door. Make a plan for your pet in case of a fire…you never know if you’ll need it.
At a minimum, these things should be part of your fire safety plan for your pets:
- Do get a RESCUE DOG sticker and place it at the exterior doors of your house. You can get one free at www.aspca.org/pet-care/disaster-preparedness
- Practice a fire drill that includes your dog. The number one reason dogs perish in house fires is because they are confined in a room or a kennel. Make sure at the first sign of a fire…even if your smoke alarm goes off when you’re boiling eggs...get your dog; put on her collar with the identification tags and take her out of the house on a leash.
 Keep your dog’s leash and ID collar in the same place all the time. This makes it easy to grab in an emergency. I got Sadie a flame retardant blaze orange reflective vest that has all her information in the zippered pockets and an extra collar with all her tags attached to it in case of another fire. - Take your dog to a safe place. If your automobile is out of the garage and clear of the house…placing your dog in the car will work or take her to a trusted neighbor. Your dog, like Sadie, will run when they get the chance to get away from the fire.
- Keep in mind…dogs smell the fire long before we do…pay attention to their behavior. Find out the reason for her strange behavior and follow your evacuation plan.
- Know where your dog would hide should they get away from you. Since this was only our second night in the house, I didn’t know anything about where she would go…I was lucky our yard was fenced and that I had roped that gate shut.
- Have an emergency kit ready to go. It should include: Pets vaccination record and any medical information, food, bottled water, dishes, medication, a familiar toy or blanket. If your house is destroyed, you might have to place your pet in a kennel for a few days and these things are crucial.
- Keep your dog on a first floor if you have to leave them alone. It makes it easier for them to be rescued if a fire occurs while you aren’t home.
- Leave a door open if you must leave your pet behind. In the worst scenario, if you can’t find your pet and, must leave, she will have an escape route.
- After a fire, get your dog checked by the vet. Toxic fumes can be deadly and if you smell smoke on her fur, she might have a burn you can’t see.
- Make sure your boarding facility has a plan in case of fire. Sadie stays at a kennel that not only has a fire plan, (I checked after our fire), but one of the workers lives in an apartment upstairs and the entire kennel has a fire alarm system and sprinklers.
The night of the fire, long after the kind firemen left, Sadie and I huddled on the couch trembling. For weeks afterward, I’d feel her shaking during the night, but we got better, our house got fixed, and I got smarter. We hope we never need that rescue sticker, but I know that our plan can help me rescue myself and my dog.
Patti Lawson, a lawyer, is the author of The Dog Diet: A Memoir, What My Dog Taught Me About Shedding Pounds, Licking Stress and Getting a New Leash on Life. (HCI Publishing, 2006) She and Sadie have recovered from their house fire in January 2009 and now have a plan for escape should the need ever arise again.
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