A dog trapped on a roof in Denman Prospect. Photo: Brooklyn Davis.
Update: Fire and Rescue confirmed that the dog was eventually brought down from the roof but repeatedly found its way back to the top of the building, even after multiple rescue efforts.
A dog trapped on a roof in Denman Prospect was rescued over the weekend in a strange incident that ACT Fire and Rescue said it has never seen before.
The dog was first heard and soon spotted stranded on a roof on Summerfield Close since Friday (25 September), leaving many concerned about its welfare and how it would get down.
According to residents, the dog would jump between the balcony of the apartment the dog belonged to and the roof of a nearby building.
Fire and Rescue was eventually called to rescue the dog on Sunday morning but couldn’t bring it down safely. Instead, firefighters and neighbours could only throw food to the dog.
Neighbours confirmed the dog managed to get off the roof sometime on Sunday evening, with many assuming the owners had returned.
Denman Prospect resident Brooklyn Davies said the dog could be heard whining for several days, leading many nearby to believe the dog had been abandoned.
“The whole complex is worried about her safety, and now she has managed to jump onto the roof,” she said.
“She has been whining for a few days, and we have thrown up as much food as we can for her.
“I’m not telling anyone how to look after their animals, but don’t go away for what has been a few days while leaving your dog stranded on a balcony with no water. Get a dog sitter!”
Superintendent Greg Mason said ACT Fire and Rescue is frequently called to rescue pets but admitted he does not recall ever being called to rescue a dog stuck on the roof of a multi-storey apartment complex.
“We do all sorts of animal rescues: cats in drains, cats in trees, horses stuck in trenches, dogs down wombat holes. We haven’t had to get onto a tall building to retrieve or rescue an animal that I’m aware of,” he said.
Mr Mason said Fire and Rescue is equipped to deal with animals trapped on tall apartment buildings, but stressed that firefighter and animal safety must come first.
“If it was a cat caught somewhere that wasn’t readily accessible and was actually dangerous for us to try to retrieve the animal, whatever it may be, then we’re going to be less likely to do that,” he said.
“Part of our responsibility to our staff is to make sure we don’t place them in situations of danger, although that sounds a bit contradictory to the nature of our work, but what we can do is, as best as possible, access where an animal may be located and make the best attempt we can to deal with it.
“We have ladders, we have ropes, we have what we call aerial appliances, elevated work platforms like cherry pickers, those sorts of things, and it will depend on what the situation allows.”
Mr Mason said pet owners need to stay on top of what areas their animals can access, as animal rescues can require a call out of a lot of resources.
“If owners have a particular animal repeating a pattern of behaviour that ties up resources, including Fire and Rescue, then maybe they should consider altering that pattern of behaviour or putting physical barriers in place to prevent it happening again,” he said.
“No matter what the incident, if we’re committed to something that we’re fully involved with, we can’t take resources away from that to attend another incident.
“That becomes part of our triaging of the incidents.
“With these cases, we need to make sure we have enough resources on standby so we can ensure that we’re gaining the most good for the most people.”
