Santa Monica Firefighter Saves Dog With Mouth-To-Snout

SANTA MONICA, CA — A 10-year-old Bichon-mix dog is lucky to be alive today thanks to the diligent effort of a Santa Monica firefighter.

Firefighter Andrew Klein found the dog, Nalu, unresponsive and overcome by heat and smoke during an apartment fire on the 1800 block of Seventh Street. The dog was not breathing and did not have a pulse, according to Santa Monica Fire Department Captain Patrick Nulty.

"I grabbed him, and I knew that he was unresponsive just by his dead weight,” Klein told ABC7. “We had to bring him back. That was my goal, was to make him survive this ordeal."

Klein gave the dog mouth-to-snout CPR and gave the animal oxygen through the department's "Pet Oxygen Masks," Nulty said. After 20 minutes, the dog began breathing on his own and regained consciousness.

The incident happened last Tuesday when the department received multiple calls about the burning apartment building.

When firefighters arrived they found one unit on fire and began an aggressive attack to douse the flames, Nulty said.

"Efforts were successful in confining the fire to the kitchen and storage room area of the apartment, and preventing further fire extension and property damage to adjacent units," he said.

Two days after the incident, the dog's owner, Crystal Lamirande, stopped by the fire station to thank firefighters for saving her pooch's life.

“I am just so grateful,” Lamirande told ABC7.

The fire department investigators are currently working to determine the cause of the apartment fire, Nulty said.

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-- Photo courtesy of Billy Fernando/SMFD