Service call becomes a technical rescue

On Friday May 2nd at approx 2000 Solomons received a service call on the hotline for a dog with its paw stuck in a bathtub drain. Utility 3 marked up for the call and Chief 3B who was in the area headed to the scene. As with any other Friday night in Solomons our ambulances were very busy and while en route to the service call Utility 3 had to be rerouted to a medical call to provide manpower. Chief 3B arrived on scene to find a yorkshire terrier with his paw wedged into the bathtub drain. The family had been trying for over an hour to free the dog prior to calling for help. The first problem encountered was a very angry and injured dog that would bite anything that got near its paw. With the help of the owner the dog was wrapped tightly in a blanket and had its snout held shut as the degree of entrapment was assessed. After 30 mins of trying none invasive measures to free the dog with no success it was decided that saws would have to used to free the animal. Knowing that this dog was not going to sit still while we operated saws milimeters from his paw a call was placed to the 24 hr Veterinarian hospital in Huntingtown. With consult from the vet and the medical director from CALS the decision was made to sedate the dog before sawing began. Chief 3B drew up the medication and a neighbor who is studying to be vet (who had stopped by to help) administered the shot. FF Gafecke then went to work with Dremel tools and hand saws. After 40 mins of tedious work the dog was able to be freed without a single scratch or cut from the steady hands of FF Gafecke. Not only was the dog freed but no damage was done to the family's bathtub either. This call exemplifies the dedication, skill, and professionalism that members of Solomons give to their community on a daily basis. A special thanks to the vetreniary hospital in Huntingtwon for helping with a very unusual request and to Dr.Glenn for approving the request to make sure (patient and providers were safe) during the rescue.