No one in Austin’s household are smokers, including Austin, a four-year old Black Labrador Retriever.
So how did Austin’s house end up surrounded by fire engines, emergency vehicles, police cars, and rubber-necking neighbors?
Austin is a smart dog but he has no idea how he accidentally turned on the stove and set the kitchen on fire.
Thankfully, the fire was quickly contained and no one was hurt. Austin’s owners asked me to help train their dog to stop cruising their counters. They suspect that Austin spied a cooling pan of bacon on the stove, that he pawed at the burners to reach the tempting smells, and inadvertently turned a knob.
This past Thursday was
National Pet Fire Safety Day, but let’s celebrate it every day. According to the United States Fire Administration, an estimated 500,000 pets are affected annually by fires, so even if you do JUST ONE THING ON THE LIST BELOW, you’ll help save your beloved pet – and your family – from disaster.
These tips are courtesy of The American Kennel Club:
1. Don’t leave your pet alone around open flames – like candles, the fireplace, or even that citronella pot outside. Dogs (and cats) are naturally curious, plus they are not always aware of their tale brushing up against something.
2. It’s inconvenient, but remove or cover up stove knobs when you leave the house – a stove or cook top is the number one piece of equipment involved in fires started by pets.
3. Keep a collar and tags on your dog, even inside the house. That way, firefighters can more easily rescue your pet.
4. Get one of those pet alert decals and put it in your window. If you don’t have one, send an email to me at upstateny@barkbusters.com with your name and address, and I will send you one – no charge. Many community fire departments have animal-sized oxygen masks on board their trucks and will rescue family pets. Since dogs and cats will often hide when there is smoke, its imperative that rescue personnel know that you have pets in your house.
For more tips on pets and fire safety, click HERE.
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