Firefighters give dog mouth-to-snout resuscitation after house blaze rescue

Firefighters Jamie Giese and Jared Thompson performed an unusual rescue when they gave mouth-to-snout resuscitation to a dog. The pair attended a house fire in Wausau, Wisconsin, where the family’s pets were still trapped inside the burning building. Dwight Borchardt, 17, returned from walking one of his dogs at around 4pm on Tuesday to find smoke billowing from the second floor.

While dad Todd Borchardt and his fiancee Kim Carlson were out of the house, pet cats Lavender and Mocha, and pet dog Coda were stranded inside. The teenager attempted to search for the missing animals but was overwhelmed by heavy smoke. The firefighters found seven-year-old Labrador Retriever in shock, sitting in a rocking chair in the room where the fire is believed to have started.

The men carried the stricken pooch to safety where they performed mouth-to-snout resuscitation. They also poured water over his soot-covered fur and used an oxygen mask to try and revive the animal. Speaking after the rescue, Giese admitted “It was all improvised” while Thompson said he had remembered tips from former reality TV show Rescue 911.

The heroes’ quick thinking paid off, as Coda was taken to two different pet hospitals, staying overnight at the second to recover. The lucky mutt had only been with the family for four days after previously living with a family friend. Son Dwight said: “He’s just a sweetheart. He’s been following me around for two days straight.” And the rescue has a happy ending – moggies Lavender and Mocha were found safe and well in the basement.