By Yvette d'Entremont - The Weekly News
HAMMONDS PLAINS - When Tanya Ellsworth arrived at her Hammonds Plains home on March 16 and saw firefighters and lots of smoke, she first assumed that it was a brush fire.
Her concern turned to alarm that Tuesday as she ran up the driveway and saw firefighters on her family's deck working on her much-loved English springer spaniel, Rudy. She knew her husband and two children were safe.
"I said, 'Is that Rudy? Is he burned? Is he dead?' They said, 'We're just working on him and you have to stay back,'" Ellsworth recalled. "I thought I was going to lose him."
An RCMP friend of the Ellsworth family had been contacted by neighbours shortly after they became aware of the fire. Knowing Rudy was usually alone in the house during the day, their friend broke down the basement door and went to check Rudy's kennel.
The dog wasn't there.
"He went up to the main floor and had to stop. He could see through the french door that it was completely black. Rudy was another level up," Ellsworth said. "You can only imagine the amount of smoke."
Rudy was unconscious, but still had a heartbeat when discovered by firefighters. The Ellsworth fire turned out to be the first fire call for the female firefighter who resuscitated Rudy.
Rudy was rushed to the Westwood Hills Veterinary Clinic in a police car accompanied by that firefighter, who kept an oxygen mask on the dog the entire drive to the clinic.
"Dr. Troye MacPherson, she was also great. They met us at the door and brought him right in. The police had called ahead to say we were coming," Ellsworth said. "The firefighter came in and explained everything, how they'd found him, what they'd done. (Rudy) was transported to the emergency vet clinic in Dartmouth and Dr. MacPherson even volunteered to take him there."
Rudy was brought back to the Westwood Hills clinic the next day. He's now with his family at their temporary home in Boutiliers Point. Their Hammonds Plains home sustained significant damage and won't be inhabitable for about four months.
"The first night out (of the vet clinic) Rudy was extremely anxious and was up all night. He was crying, whining and pacing. The second night it was a little better, and now he's doing just fantastic," Ellsworth said last weekend.
"Their fear was once people or animals have smoke inhalation, their lungs can fill up with fluid. But we did another lung X-ray and everything's fine."
Although he's still coughing a bit, is taking a few medications, and has to refrain from getting too excited, Rudy's expected to make a full recovery.
"I can't really begin to express in words how thankful I am. They (firefighters) could have said, 'We're not going in there,' but they did. It's amazing," Ellsworth said. "Not everybody understands what a dog means to you. He's like our child."
Staff at the Westwood vet clinic gave him a get well card, and Rudy's grooming spot, The Hound, has offered him a complimentary spa day.
The 71⁄2-year-old canine is a certified St. John Ambulance therapy dog. The day after the fire, Ellsworth checked her mail box and ironically discovered Rudy had finally received his official St. John Ambulance therapy dog neckerchief and ID tag.
Ellsworth is overwhelmed by the outpouring of support for her family and Rudy.
"We're so grateful to everyone. It's a miracle," she said.
Mike LeRue, divisional chief of the Halifax Regional Fire and Emergency Service, said Rudy's case has a far happier ending than most.
"We lose almost all. We save very, very few animals. An animal will usually hide, especially cats. We often find them, and dogs, under beds or in closets," LeRue said.
Special stickers people use to advise fire departments about the number and types of pets they have inside are handy, but firefighters don't solely rely on them.
"We'll see them and we will look, but even without them we are looking anyway. We do a full search every time," LeRue said.
LeRue said in a strange twist of impeccable timing, the Halifax Kennel Club was to donate 15 pet oxygen masks to the fire service on Thursday. A similar donation was made in 2008.
ydentremont@hfxnews.ca
