Dog Talk with Uncle Matty: Fire-Proof Your Pets
By Matthew “Uncle Matty” Margolis California is famous for more than its Hollywood roots and sun-drenched beaches. It's famous for its fires. Monstrous, majestic, devastating -- California wildfires are often unfathomable feats of nature, at times triggered by inglorious acts of man.
But then there are the accidents waiting to happen, as was the case with the "Pack Rat" house fire in Riverside, Calif.
Riverside firefighters were first called to the home just after 6 p.m. on Oct. 6. They found the kitchen engulfed in flames, along with a back porch area that had been turned into a kennel. Fourteen Lhasa Apsos died, presumably of smoke inhalation.
Later that night, fire crews were called back to the home as the flames rekindled. The remains of 11 more dogs were discovered after the second fire.
Firefighters told KTLA they had "access problems in every room due to the 'extreme clutter' inside the house." Riverside Fire Capt. Scott Wilson said, "All but the living room is full, ceiling-to-floor, wall-to-wall, with collected items." The kennel conditions matched those of the house, with dogs stacked in cages, one on top of the next.
The jaw-dropping circumstances that led to this fire and its many casualties indicate a lack of mental health on the part of the owner. But kennel fires happen even with the most stable at the helm.
On Oct. 18, in Excelsior Springs, Kansas, firefighters and a kennel owner snatched 16 dogs from a dire fate as flames engulfed the boarding facility and a neighboring business. In the words of kennel owner Barbara Baldridge, "If we would have been any later, there probably would not have been any dogs left."
Fires, of course, can ignite anywhere. On Oct. 21, a 2-year-old Labrador named Duke was rescued by firefighters when his normally quiet home went up in flames in Lubbock, Texas. The family had been grilling the night before, and a wayward ember is thought to be the cause of the uproar.
In each of these fires, the dogs involved were home alone, with no way out.
If you have a dog and must leave him home alone from time to time, take the time to fire-proof your home to the extent it's possible:
-- test smoke detectors monthly
-- maintain your clothes drier, keeping the lent trap clean, as well as the areas below and behind the drier
-- fully extinguish cigarettes
-- unplug coffee makers and irons
-- double-check that stoves, grills and ovens are turned off
-- keep matches and lighters in separate sealed containers
-- store flammable chemicals in separate sealed containers
-- sweep up and dispose of wood chips and sawdust, which are flammable
-- don't overload power outlets or chain extension cords
-- unplug tree and house lights during the holidays
-- blow out candles and jack-o'-lanterns
-- keep areas around gas heaters and water heaters clear, especially of flammable items
Also, post a Pet Alert on your front and back porches. These stickers or static clings include a place for you to fill in the number and kind of pets living in the house. This alerts firefighters to the presence of your pets. A set of two can be purchased for $5.95 at theanimalrescuesite.com.
Finally, before leaving your dog at a kennel or boarding facility, find out whether the dogs receive 24-hour supervision or if there is anyone on duty at night. Often, especially with veterinary boarding, there is no one available after hours. It is up to you to decide whether you are comfortable with those circumstances, but know that dogs left alone in cages are extremely vulnerable to catastrophic events like fire.
To riff on Smokey Bear, only you can protect your pets.
Woof!
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Dog trainer Matthew "Uncle Matty" Margolis is co-author of 18 books about dogs, a behaviorist, a popular radio and television guest, and host of the PBS series "WOOF! It's a Dog's Life!" Read all of Uncle Matty's columns at the Creators Syndicate website at www.creators.com, and visit him at www.unclematty.com. Send your questions to dearuncle.gazette@unclematty.com or by mail to Uncle Matty at P.O. Box 3300, Diamond Springs, CA 95619.
Copyright 2009 Creators Syndicate Inc.
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