CA Firefighters Free Puppy's Head from Tire

Rescue personnel Monday came to the aid of a German shepherd that got its head wedged in the center of a cast-off tire in a Wikiup backyard, fire officials said.

The one-year-old puppy appeared stressed with labored breathing when its owners called 911 at about 11:40 a.m. at a Wikiup Meadow Drive residence, Rincon Valley Fire Capt. Fred Leuenberger said. The dog had somehow pushed its head through the center of one of several old tires and old truck tires in the backyard, he said. The animal was bleeding from several deep cuts.

“We can only assume she was chasing something. It’s the only way we can figure she managed to wedge her head in there,” Leuenberger said.

The owners had tried to push the dog’s head through without luck. Firefighters determined they couldn’t cut the rim without harming the animal.

Firefighters administered oxygen to the dog for more than two hours until a Sonoma County Animal Control veterinarian was finished performing a surgery and could come sedate the animal, Leuenberger said. The veterinarian sedated the dog and then slickened the dog’s fur with a lubricant that enabled them to gently slide the pup to freedom just before 2 p.m.

The dog, whose name wasn’t immediately available, was taken to PetCare Veterinary Hospital on Mendocnio Avenue in Santa Rosa for further treatment.

You can reach Staff Writer Julie Johnson at 521-5220 or [email protected]. On Twitter @jjpressdem.

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