When a Walmer homeowner carried his six-month old puppy from his burning home on Wednesday night, the family was unsure if the tiny Yorkie-poodle cross would make it.
But the paramedic who responded to the call was determined not to let anyone — or any pet — die on his watch, and using CPR and a child’s oxygen mask, managed to bring little Daisy back from the brink.
At about 8.30pm, homeowner Jaco Buys, 51, heard a strange cracking noise coming from the lounge of the family’s Lloyd Road home.
Upon investigating, he found the room on fire and smoke quickly filling up the house.
“The whole room was already on fire. I quickly ran to my wife on the top floor and woke her up.
“We rounded up our son and my mother-in-law and quickly made our way out the house,” Buys said.
Once outside, he and his neighbour tried to control the blaze with garden hoses until the fire department arrived.
The family did a quick headcount and realised that only Rocket, their Yorkshire terrier, was outside with them, and that Roxy, a poodle-cross, and Daisy were nowhere to be found.
Buys asked the firefighters if he could borrow a mask and oxygen cylinder so that he could go back into the house to look for the two family pets, knowing exactly where they usually slept.
“I quickly found Roxy on the bottom floor and she was still fine, just a little scared.
“Then I ran up the stairs to our bedroom. The smoke was so thick I could hardly see anything.
“I had to feel my way around the house and the heat was almost unbearable.
“Luckily I quickly spotted the little black dog on our white bedding and snatched her up.”
He said the puppy was unresponsive and only managed to make soft yelping noises when he carried her out the burning house.
Meanwhile, a team from Bester Emergency Medical Service had arrived on the scene and attended to Buys’s wife Yolandé, his son Zaiden, and mother-in-law, Ina Nell.
Paramedic George Knoesen saw Buys emerge carrying the tiny black bundle and could see on his face there was little hope for the puppy.
“Initially when we arrived the fire department had already taken control of the scene, and we found an elderly lady and young boy sitting with one of the family dogs.
“We started treating them, mostly for shock as they had no visible injuries.
“I could immediately tell the family loved their animals and they were very concerned about the little dog’s wellbeing.”
Knoesen asked Buys if he could take a look at Daisy and took the puppy to the ambulance.
He said her breathing was very weak and she had gone completely limp so he decided to apply emergency procedures.
“I started with chest compressions and covered her mouth and nose with the smallest oxygen mask we had in the ambulance.”
After about seven minutes, Daisy’s legs started kicking and she opened her eyes.
“She was still weak, but she was starting to recover.
Knoesen continued to massage the dog’s chest and apply oxygen, while covering her in a blanket to keep her warm.
After another 10 minutes she was sitting upright and he asked the family to get hold of a veterinarian for a complete assessment, but it seemed she was out of the woods.
“I’m also an animal lover and I just figured these people were having a rough night already.
“If I could save their dog it might make matters a little easier for them,” Knoesen said.
On Thursday, the Buys family were busy taking stock of the damage while their dogs, including Daisy, were playing in the yard.
Buys praised the team from Bester EMS for going the extra mile to ensure they and their furry family members were safe.
He said the cause of the fire and extent of the damage had not yet been established.
“As bad as it is, it could have been much worse, and we are just extremely grateful that no-one was hurt.
“We can’t thank the paramedics enough for all their help,” Buys said.
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