A Florida woman’s dog is making international headlines after the pooch managed to survive a near 16 story fall. The dog in question is a 4-year-old Maltipoo named Susie. According to CNN , Susie managed to survive a fall down the air conditioning shaft of a building without breaking bones or suffering internal bleeding. She did suffer from a few bruises — but that’s all. The dog is now recovering.
The incident happened on Saturday when the dog and her owner Elaine Caralis were visiting a neighbor’s home on the 16th floor of a Fort Lauderdale high-rise apartment building. After entering the apartment, Susie got hold of a scent that led her to an open closet. The dog simply walked into the closet which unfortunately wasn’t covered. A ventilation panel that is usually found inside such shafts was missing as well. This caused the dog to fall nearly 15 floors down the shaft. Fearing the worst, a worried 68-year-old Caralis called up the emergency responders from the Fort Lauderdale Fire Rescue who arrived within minutes.
According to Timothy Heiser of Fort Lauderdale Fire Rescue, the responders had to “cut holes above and below the second floor to try to get (to her).” The fire crew tried for hours to get to the dog who they figured was trapped somewhere near the second floor level of the apartment block. It took three hours to reach the dog, though rescuers managed to save Susie before she could fall any further and injure herself.
Meanwhile, Elaine Caralis was out of words to describe the heroic efforts of the emergency responders to rescue her dog. As soon as they managed to free Susie, the dog was rushed in an ambulance to the Oakland Park Animal Hospital. When emergency veterinarian Dr. Spencer L. Ratnoff heard bout the incident, he was expecting a grievously injured dog with multiple fractures and severe internal injuries. He was even worried that the dog would have to be euthanized. However, he was surprised to see that Susie had suffered no internal bleeding, broken bones, or life threatening injuries. He claimed it was surely a miracle that the dog survived.
FLFR firefighters with Susie the dog shortly after her rescue after the 16 story fall. #galtocean #maltipoo #goodnews pic.twitter.com/dPjzfmAySE
— FLFR PIO (@FtLaudFire) June 14, 2014
In a subsequent interview to CNN , Elaine said that since she didn’t have any children, Susie is her life and her family and anything happening to the dog would have affected her badly. She was impressed with the way the Fort Lauderdale Fire and Rescue officers searched for the dog as if it was a human being.
[Image via Fort Lauderdale Fire Rescue]
