A picture
of a man who stripped down to his underwear and crawled across a frozen river
to rescue his trapped dog has emerged. But why do people risk their lives to
save dogs?
The tale of
dog owners taking extraordinary risks to save their furry friends from freezing
or fast flowing water is a familiar story.
But the
dangers of owners falling into distress after desperate rescue attempts are
equally well documented.
"Woman
and dog pulled from river", "Owner tried to save dog from sea",
"Man dies after dog rescue attempt off Brighton beach" are headlines
from the last couple of months alone.
And
according to the Royal Society for the Prevention of Accidents (Rospa), on
average there are seven animal rescue-related deaths in the UK a year.
So why do
people put themselves in harm's way for their pets?
The RSPCA's
Andy Robbins says for a lot people a pet is part of the family - so if they see
it in distress, or fear for its safety, they want to do all they can to help.
There is an
emotional tie which means people react without thinking of the consequences, he
says.
As well as
seeing pets as part of the family, Dr Roger Mugford, an animal psychologist who
runs the Animal Behaviour Centre, says owners often anthropomorphise their
animals, particularly if they are dogs.
It is
understandable, Mugford argues, because social animals like dogs also extend
their emotions to us - and often show similar reactions in emergencies.
 |
| Essex Fire Service says the man's actions were extremely dangerous |
"You
hear tales of dogs waking owners when fire alarms go off, stopping them from
crossing a road at a dangerous point, jumping into rivers when their owners
fall in," he says.
Mugford
also argues that humans have a strong caring, altruistic nature - while animals
have a perceived vulnerability - which adds to the impulse to help.
Ironically,
he says dogs benefit from stronger senses - like smell and acute hearing - and
can pick up on danger that is sometimes not apparent to humans.
Laura
Quickfall, from the Kennel Club, agrees that dogs are perhaps more intelligent
and capable animals than people think.
"It
may be that they are able to cope in situations like this better than humans.
"Unfortunately
we have heard of cases where the owner has died trying to save their dog and
their dog has managed to rescue themselves," she says.
Quickfall
says responsible dog owners should always look out for the health and welfare
of their dog, but not to the detriment of their own safety.
"We do
hear of people putting themselves in dangerous situations to save them but we
would never recommend this. In this situation we would recommend that any dog
owner calls for professional help, such as the fire service," she says.
But she
says the fact that this type of behaviour is not unusual is testament to the
bond between dogs and their owners.
David
Walker, an information manager at Rospa, says there are hundreds of calls to
emergency services every year concerning animals which get stuck in ice, rivers,
mud and weirs.
But it is
usually only when owners try to rescue them themselves that problems escalate,
he says.
He says the
best solution is prevention - and advises owners to keep pets on leads near icy
river banks and ponds.
If a pet
does fall into difficulty, he says throwing something to try and rescue the
animal from the safety of the bank is the best option. But if that fails, the
next step should always be the fire and rescue services.
For
Mugford, who has crawled across ice to save a dog once himself, fighting the
emotional impulse to act will always be a struggle.
"If
you look around, there are so many examples of people putting themselves in
harms way to save their pet. In my case, I caught pneumonia and my dog had a
great time," he says.
 |
Related Articles:
No comments:
Post a Comment