Tag: Pomeranian

Yet Another Scary Reason Not to Take Your Dog on an Escalator

As I wrote in A Very Scary Reason Why You Shouldn’t Take Your Dog on an Escalator back in February 2018, a small dog riding an escalator with his owner at Los Angeles International Airport nearly lost a paw when it got caught in the grate at the top of the escalator. Luckily a passerby who witnessed what happened quickly pressed the emergency shut-off button to stop the escalator. LAX police officers were able to unscrew the grate’s teeth and free the dog’s paw.

A year before that, the exact same thing happened to another small dog riding the escalator at the Fort Lauderdale-Hollywood International Airport. That dog was also safely freed, but bit his owners in the process.

Fast forward three years, and the exact same thing has happened yet again to another dog. On Wednesday afternoon, a Pomeranian named Scott got his back left paw stuck in an escalator at the Journal Square PATH (Port Authority Trans-Hudson) rapid transit system station in New Jersey.

The cries of Scott and his owner were heard by Port Authority police officers Anthony Manfredini and Matthew Maiello, who raced to the escalator and pushed the emergency shut-off button. They then summoned help.

“I spent my life training and caretaking for dogs in the Marine Corps as a K9 handler and in my personal life,” Manfredini told The Jersey Journal. “I didn’t have a second thought when it came to cries for help.”

As Manfredini held and comforted Scott (aw!), Emergency Service Unit officers Mark Legic, Andrew Vignapiano and Eric Block were able to unbolt the escalator’s claw plate and free the dog’s paw, NBC New York reports.

Scott’s paw was badly injured, with cuts and puncture wounds. Angel Lopez, a kind-hearted Port Authority police sergeant, paid the taxi fare for the dog’s owner to take Scott to an animal hospital. Scott is expected to make a complete recovery, and his owner will hopefully have learned a painful lesson.

It is never, ever a good idea to let dogs, especially small ones like Scott, ride on escalators. Unless you’re able to carry your dog, always take the stairs or elevator instead.

“Many pet owners do not understand the danger escalators and moving walkways pose to pets, who do not know that they need to lift their feet at the top to avoid being trapped by the ‘combs,’” MSPCA-Angell warned in 2012, after a Pomeranian mix named Mace lost two toes after getting his paw stuck on an escalator in a Boston subway station.

Each year, MSPCA-Angell veterinarians perform surgery on an average of two to three dogs whose paws were mangled after they were stuck in escalator combs.

“This is a very serious issue; most of us don’t think twice when stepping onto an escalator, but it’s crucial for all of us to understand that dogs have no sense of the danger awaiting them at the top,” stated Dr. Ashley Davis, one of the veterinarians who treated Mace. “If anything positive can come from Mace’s ordeal, it’s the awareness that his story will generate.”

If you can’t carry your dog and must ride an escalator, bring booties for him to wear, suggested Jeannine Berger, DVM. “Just make sure they fit snugly, without superfluous material that can catch in the moving escalator parts,” she warned.

Photo: @PANYNJ/Twitter

This Wasn’t the First Dog Rescued from an Elevator Tragedy

Johnny Mathis (the Houston welder/hero, not the famous singer) was in the right place at the right time on Monday. He had stepped out of an elevator on the ground floor of his apartment complex when he saw what could have been the last terrifying moments of a Pomeranian’s life.

As Mathis stopped to admire the little dog, the Pomeranian’s owner went into the elevator. The doors closed before the dog, on a long, retractable leash behind her, could join her.

Realizing that the little dog would be strangled when the elevator car began rising, Mathis immediately took action. His heroic deed was captured by a security camera.

As the woman screamed inside the elevator car, Mathis tried to break the dog’s leash by leaning on it with all of his weight, he told NBC News, but that didn’t work.

“Instinct just kicked in, I just grabbed that leash,” he told CNN. “There was so much fur, that’s why it took me a bit to get that lever off of the collar and when I did, I let go, you could see that leash just shoot off to the top of the elevator.”

The distraught woman returned to the ground floor, assuming her dog was dead. When the elevator doors opened, Mathis told NBC News she was laying on the floor, sobbing.

“I think she just said, ‘Thank you,’ and we hugged, but she was just so overcome with emotion,” Mathis told CNN.

The dog’s owner has received a lot of backlash in response to this scary incident, but Mathis said he felt bad for her. “We’re all human, things happen like that,” he told NBC News. “It just takes a second for your attention to not be there.”

Mathis is right that “things happen like that.” Other dogs have nearly died when the elevator doors closed on their leashes. Those incidents were also captured on security video.

In 2016, Ben Duke, a hotel manager in South Carolina, saved the life of a dog named Boo Boo. After the dog’s owner stepped into an elevator at the Roadway Inn in Greenville, the doors closed on Boo Boo’s leash. “Everybody is calling me a hero, but I can’t imagine the other outcome,” Duke told WYFF. “I just did what you are supposed to do in this situation.”

That same year, a dog in an apartment complex in Springfield, Mo., was rescued from a similar fate when elevator doors closed on his retractable leash. Apartment manager Brian Ussery was able to save the dog’s life by breaking the leash. “I would hate to know what would have happened if I wasn’t able to break that leash before she got to the top again,” Usery wrote on his Facebook page.

In 2013, a Pug in Russia would have been killed if a bystander hadn’t quickly removed him from his leash.

It’s important to note that most of these incidents involved dogs on retractable leashes. Many veterinarians urge dog owners not to use this type of leash because, as in these cases, they allow your dog to get too far away from you. You or your dog can also easily get tangled in the leash, leading to injuries including amputations.

Keeping Your Dog Safe in Elevators

Elevators are generally safe for your dog if you take these precautions recommended by KONE, a global leader in the elevator industry.

  • When you get on and off the elevator, keep your dog right beside you on a short leash, gripping it tightly.
  • Do not push a floor button until your dog and his leash are completely inside the elevator.
  • Stay in the rear of the elevator, with your dog sitting beside you.
  • It’s also a good idea to check to see where the emergency buttons to stop the elevator and open the doors are located.

“If an emergency does occur, act fast,” KONE advises. “If there is a danger of choking, release the dog from its collar as quickly as possible. If the dog is alone in the elevator and its leash is caught between the doors, push the call button immediately. If the elevator car is already in motion, let go of the leash.”

Call the service number of the maintenance company for the elevator. “Remember to stay calm – help is on the way,” KONE says.

Escalators can also be dangerous for dogs. Here’s a reason why you shouldn’t take your dog on escalators.

Photo: @Johnnayyeee/Twitter

Hero Pomeranian Stays by Blind Chihuahua’s Side During House Fire

When Lily Ifield of Hertfordshire, England, looked out her bedroom window in the middle of the night earlier this month, she thought the thick smoke she saw was fog.

But when she went downstairs, she realized the smoke was coming from inside her house.

“I thought my home was going to explode. There was just this big billowing cloud of black smoke,” she Daily Express, describing a house fire earlier this month. “All I thought was, ‘Oh my God,’ and ran out. I couldn’t really see as there was smoke everywhere.”

Ifield, 73, and Sandy, her 10-year-old Pomeranian, managed to escape outside, but Sandy noticed somebody was missing.

It was Tina, a blind, 13-year-old Chihuahua who is Sandy’s best friend.

To Ifield’s horror, Sandy ran back into the burning house. “The fireman couldn’t believe Sandy went in to the smoke-filled house to look for the little one,” Ifield told the Daily Express. “He said when he came in, they were both sitting side by side in the kitchen, and Sandy was looking after her.”

Firefighters from the Stortford Fire and Rescue Service were able to save the two dogs.

“We got them out before there was a chance for them to be affected by smoke inhalation,” one of their rescuers, Pat Steadman, told the Daily Express. “The 13-year-old one was the smallest chihuahua you’ve ever seen. They were only going to come out together.”

Ifield’s parrot, Rio, also survived the blaze by flying out of the house. The fire was believed to be caused by an electrical issue in the kitchen. Ifield and her pets are temporarily staying in a hotel while repairs are made to their home.

“The firefighters did a brilliant job to make sure everyone was okay,” Ifield told the Hertfordshire Mercury. “They are so kind — I just want to thank them so much.”

Tina and her hero Sandy were already BFFs before the fire. But now? “They are even closer, and they just cuddle up to each other,” Ifield told the Daily Express.

Photo (of a random Pomeranian who isn’t Sandy): OpenRoadPR

Firefighters and Cops Get New Pomeranian for Grieving Dog Mom

Firefighters in Portage, Mich., were able to put out a blaze in the home of Lanchi Rohall two months ago, but, tragically, they were unable to save the lives of her six dogs.

A compassionate dispatcher with Portage Public Safety who knew Rohall suggested to her supervisor, Torie Rose, that the department do something to help Rohall cope with her loss, MLive.com reports. With the grieving dog mom’s permission, employees began making donations toward getting Rohall a new dog to help ease her pain.

Rohall is especially fond of Pomeranians, so the dispatcher began searching online for the perfect pup. She eventually found Teddy, a rescued Pom who was available in Flint, Mich. The donations from Portage fire and police unions, as well as officers, covered Teddy’s $250 adoption fee.

Rose and the dispatcher brought Teddy to Rohall, who is temporarily staying in a motel.

“I think he needed her as much as she needed him,” Rose told MLive.com. “You could tell right off the bat they were going to be a good match.”

Teddy, who was rescued from an abusive situation, was treated by a veterinarian for worms. He also has very sensitive paws, so Rohall got him some little shoes to protect them.

Rohall and Teddy paid a visit yesterday to the Portage Police station. Rose said Teddy was like a different dog.

“He was well-groomed and looked very happy,” she told MLive.com. “She has taught him commands through hand movements, and he is very much attached to her. If she goes out of his sight, he gets nervous.”

Rohall said she is very thankful for how people have gone out of their way to help her since the fire. It was “wonderful, wonderful. God works in mysterious ways,” she told MLive.com.

As for her new best friend Teddy, she said he’s adorable. “He looks just like a baby fox,” she told MLive.com.

Photo via Twitter

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