It’s not known how this poor stray dog from Indianapolis got her head stuck in the rim of an old car tire, but it was certainly tough to get her out. It took a team of firefighters with rescue equipment to get her out; though she may have got more than she bargained for in the end—indeed the lucky dog found a new forever home with one of her rescuers.
When Indianapolis resident Jessica Arnold, 20, came home after work on the evening of July 17, 2015, she found a stray dog stuck inside a car tire rim, “which sits as junk on a neighboring property,” unable to free herself. Arnold alerted Station 5 Firefighters of the situation in the hopes they would be able to get the poor pooch out.
Arnold lived in the area and “told firefighters that she found the neighborhood stray stuck in a tire and needed help,” wrote the Indianapolis Fire Department on their Facebook page.
She told them that the female pit bull mix was “about 1.5 years old and is often seen in the area. She has been feeding it and typically sees it stop by her house twice a day.” Arnold had named the dog “Jimma.”
“Having no idea how long the dog had been stuck, she loaded it into her car and drove to the neighborhood firehouse,” the fire department posted. “The dog who appeared to be stable was visibly shaken but not confrontational.”
The firefighters attempted several methods to free the dog from the rim.
“For 10 minutes, the crew at station 5 made several attempts to ease the dog’s head back out of the hole by utilizing liquid soap and then oil.”
But none of the methods worked. Finally, they decided to call “Tactical 14” for help with power rescue tools.
When Tactical 14 arrived, they “assessed the condition of the dog and decided on a course of action which they hoped would minimize any possible injury to the dog and keep it calm as they used the large and loud tools near its head.”
After careful examination, they decided to remove the rubber tire from the rim first.
“Several small tools normally used in vehicle extrication were used but ineffective due to the proximity of the dogs head, noise, vibration and the rim material.”
While the rescuers worked to free the dog from the rim, other firefighters kept Jimma from impeding the rescuers’ work by soothing the animal with gentle voices and petting.
However, after the effort was continued for some time, “the dog turned skittish and firefighters had to allow the dog a minute to calm down before continuing.”
Then at last, the firefighters used a tool for cutting brake pedals from cars to cut the rim in several places. They then used spreaders to open it up.
The rim was removed and poor Jimma was finally freed from the trap.
“The dog’s airway was never compromised and the dog appeared otherwise ok.”
Arnold took Jimma home and decided to adopt her according to the fire department.
Perhaps because of the harrowing experience, Arnold developed a bond with Jimma, and the lady felt she had a responsibility to look after the poor stray afterward, so she decided to give her a permanent home.
The Indianapolis Fire Department’s post about this amazing rescue eventually went viral, racking up more than 40,000 reactions, with many singing the praises of the firefighters and Arnold.
“Thank you to all those who worked so hard to free this little dog and to keep her from being too scared,” one user wrote.
One commented, “This was a beautiful thing u all did for this dog and thanks to the one who is giving him a permanent home.”
“To all the firefighters GREAT job, As always!!! To the woman whom found the dog. Thanks to you this dog is alive and now has a forever home. Angels among us,” wrote another.
Another remarked, “Such a heartwarming story, thank you for all that you do on a daily basis for your community, and thank you to the lady who brought the dog to you to help. I am glad she has taken the pooch and made her part of her family.”
Kudos to the firefighters and Arnold for going all out to save Jimma! We are glad that despite all the fuss, the dog escaped unharmed in the end and somehow got herself a brand-new home out of the deal.
