Good Samaritan gives dog ‘kiss of life’
Published: September 7, 2006
A good Samaritan saved a French mastiff that had nearly strangled by giving it “the kiss of life,” Dutch police said Tuesday.
According to an official police report, the 18-month-old dog fell from a balcony in the Dutch town of Zevenaar on Monday night but remained dangling from his leash and collar until neighbours and several bystanders noticed and cut the animal loose later the same evening.
It was unconscious and had stopped breathing, police spokesman Paul Koetsier said.
“First they tried heart massage, but that didn’t work,” he said. “I wasn’t there but as I understand it, they then closed its mouth and breathed through its nose.”
The dog began to show signs of life, and a passing ambulance stopped and gave the animal further assistance.
It was later taken to a veterinarian in the town, 60 kilometres east of Amsterdam, and has now fully recovered, the police report said.
Koetsier said the owner, who wasn’t home at the time, would not face any kind of punishment. The name of the animal, its owner and saviour were not released.
French mastiffs, also known as dogues de Bordeaux or Bordeaux bulldogs, are fighting dogs with big heads that can weigh more than 50 kilograms. One famously starred with Tom Hanks in the cop and canine movie “Turner & Hooch.”
Asked whether he would have tried to give artificial breathing to a dog under similar circumstances, Koetsier hesitated. “It’s a difficult question,” he said. “I would definitely think twice.”
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