On January 11th, a stray dog was rescued by fireman Leo Sana anak Sandai from the Seri Balik Pulau fire and rescue department, after it had become stranded on a seventh-floor ledge of an apartment building in Teluk Kumbar, Penang, Malaysia.
When they arrived on the scene, the dog was lying motionless on the ledge. Leo secured himself with a safety line and moved closer to the dog, but it suddenly turned aggressive upon seeing him, showing its teeth and growling. A resident then offered food, such as nuggets and water, in an attempt to coax the dog to safety but it did not work. After some time of failing to rescue the dog, they decided to improvise. One of Leo’s colleagues used a gunny sack to block the dog’s view while Leo used a towel to wrap it and move it to safety.
Leo said he was not worried about his safety during the entire rescue exercise. He was more concerned about the dog if it suddenly decided to jump off the building. He said he showered the dog with sweet words during the rescue process but it was not entertained by it.
Despite the dog’s initial reluctance, Leo and his team successfully rescued the animal and brought it safely to the ground floor. Unfortunately, once it was on the ground floor, it broke free from Leo’s arms and ran away.
The incident was captured on video by a resident and shared on social media, where it was widely shared and enjoyed by Malaysians. Leo, who has been a fireman for four years, said that he has been part of many interesting and weird operations, but this one proved to be the most challenging. He said that he was pleasantly surprised by the dog’s antics, in behaving as if it was sulking and refusing to cooperate.
Seri Balik Pulau fire and rescue department chief Faris Mansor said that a resident had reported the dog’s predicament at 3.02pm and about 10 firemen were dispatched to the scene. He said that when they arrived, the incident commander did a risk assessment and instructed the dog to be saved. They have to consider all aspects, some dogs may jump, some may bite, while some are cooperative, they can never tell.
