Ideas for fire escape for LARGE dogs?

Question

I just had an awful dream last night. I have 3 great danes, and my bedroom is on the second floor of our old farmhouse. In my dream, the stairs were up in flames and the only way out was the window. I have no problem getting out, but i have no idea how to get my 150lbs+ dogs out the window safely! It was just horrible - but it got me thinking... how would you get the dogs out without injuring them. Does anyone have any (serious) suggestions?

Thanks for the answers so far... i called my fire department and they said to throw them out the window... "it's better to have dogs with broken legs than dead dogs." Hmm... he had a point, but did he have to say it like that?

Answer 1

Well... an ounce of prevention may be the key!

Is your house equipped with smoke detectors? Early detection means an early escape and hopefully you wouldn't have to worry about going out the window. The best system is a series of interconnected detectors, so if one goes off, they all go off. They are even available in a wireless mode for this feature...

http://www.detectorsandalarms.com/index.asp?PageAction=VIEWPROD&ProdID=218&HS=1

But okay... let's say that didn't do the trick. Wouldn't it be better for your dog's sake to NOT have them sleep on the 2nd floor? If thier beds are placed near a back or side room on the ground floor, then, in the event of a fire, you escape however you can and then open (smash if necessary) the door or windows adjacent to where the dogs are sleeping? (Just a suggestion, I know alot of people who are VERY attached to thier pets and couldn't imagine sleeping without them.)

Okay, now I am going to get creative... obviously a "fire escape" or deck on the side of the house would be a major investment and undertaking. Certainly that would solve the dilemma. But could we come up with something else? Do you have any old sheets? How about this... sew them together so they would be long enough to angle away from the house. Put two of those heavy duty dog anchors in the ground a fair distance out...

http://mysite.verizon.net/vze26yzi/id10.html

Then get some nylon rope and run it from your window, out to the steaks and back again. You can let the rope lay slack to the ground if you want so they aren't as visible. Find a secure way to attach one end of the ropes to your sheets. Attach the other end of the sheets to inside a small "escape box" you build by your escape window. Then, if you ever needed to... within about a minute... INSTANT SLIDE. Now the trick is getting the dogs to use it in an emergency. Maybe some training and drills? Hmmm, I wonder how safe this insane plan is? I would test it with something first. Well... it's just my weird brain at work. Maybe someone else will come up with something better. That deck is sounding better all the time. :)

Good luck and good question! It made me think!

Answer 2

REALLY really great question. Unfortunately I don't have an answer either, I live in a ranch. Have you thought about contacting your local fire department to see if they have any ideas?

ADDED...YIKES!! Not the answer I would have wanted either! Hope you have large windows and are a very strong person. I couldn't imagine trying to throw a great dane out the window who doesn't want to go. Then again, I'm only 5'2" and petite....

My father-in-law is a recently retired fireman. I will ask him. Since I can't e-mail you, maybe leave this question open til late tonight? I'll be able to get a hold of him around 5pm today (Central time, US) and I'll get back to you with his response.

ADDED...Sorry, meant to get back to you last night. My father in law said also that really the best thing you can do is prevention. It's not going to be an easy task throwing a dog out a window of that size if he doesn't want to go. So make sure that you have smoke detectors on EVERY floor of your home. That way you'll be alerted soon enough to hopefuly get everybody out. Sorry I couldn't offer you anything better.

Answer 3

I have the same situation, our bedrooms are on the second floor of a large old house, and I have 4 Danes at present (I do rescue). Luckily there is a flat roof right outside our bedroom window, that we could crawl out on. And there are two sets of stairs from the second floor.

It would be rather pricey, but could you add a porch roof below your bedroom window? Or at least some window on the upper floor. Can you add a balcony or a deck to a window? Or is there some way to add a second set of stairs?

If anyone has a bright idea, I would like to know too.

Answer 4

Funny, I have worried about the same thing when I lived in a house with multiple floors. My boyfriend is a fireman and I always said " If a fire breaks out fend for yourself because I am going after the brown dog." My chocolate Lab is my service dog and I couldn't imagine life without him. Luckily for me (I guess) my doctor told me I could no longer do steps and I had to buy a rancher. Now I have the peace of mind of knowing I can just yell "out" and they will all head for the doggie door. But, yes I have worried about that also. I am sorry I cant help you but, maybe you could hook up some sort of harness and pulley system? That would at least make it so you could lift them and lower to safety.

Answer 5

do you have a flat roof over one of the windows, you could chuck your bedding out and matress and then put the dogs out onto the flatroof, and then chuck the bedding out onto the ground, the best thing that you could do is concat someone who has a lot of exprince with large dogs as they may have more ideas

Answer 6

That is a horrible thought! I do not know how to do this but something that can help is a sticker alerting fire officials that there are animals inside that need rescued. it is free from the ASPCA.