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Puppies Stuck In Illegal Tar Pit For Days

By Jessica Clark
First Coast News

ST. JOHNS COUNTY, FL -- St. Johns County crews from Animal Control, the Sheriff’s Office and Fire/Rescue had to be creative rescuing two dogs Monday.

The six-month-old brother and sister puppies were stuck in a hole filled with tar. The animals were stuck in the tar up to their bellies.

A Florida Department of Environmental Protection spokesperson said someone illegally dumped the tar in the woods on Vermont Street just off State Road 207.

The rescue was tricky.

Paul Studivant is the Animal Control Director. He said, “The tar was like taffy. It was really tacky. We had to keep rolling it, then cut it, then roll it, and then cut it, and then pull the dogs out.”

David Dawson was the one who initially found the dogs and called 911. He was in the woods looking for scrap metal when he heard whimpering. He discovered the dogs in the pool of tar, and he tried to help.

“The male couldn’t pick his head up. I had to literally pour the water into his mouth before he got enough into him so he could pick his head up and drink. I had to un-stick his head so he could sit up and drink,” Dawson said.

It’s believed the dogs were stuck in the tar for about two days. Dead animals such as turtles and rodents were also found in the tar.

After two hours, the dogs were eventually pulled out and hosed down. However, the water did not remove the massive amount of tar off their bodies. There were huge clumps and globs of tar stuck to their fur.

Once inside the St. Johns County Animal Control Shelter, a dozen people tackled the rare dilemma of removing tar from fur. They tried Vaseline, dish soap, and even vegetable oil.

“We’re trying everything that people are pointing out to us,” Studivant said. “Any oil-based substance is definitely breaking it down, but when you’re dealing with huge gobs, you can’t tell where the foot is and where the tar is. So we’ve now started shaving” the fur off.

But after more than two hours of working on the dogs, one dog went into shock. The other started having seizures. Studivant and veterinarian techs made the hard decision to put the dogs down. Studivant said it was a difficult to choose between “being selfish or doing the humane thing.”

A county investigation into animal cruelty will take place. A St. Johns County Sheriff’s Office spokesman said the environmental case has been referred to the Department of Environmental Protection.

The tar was removed after the dogs were rescued.

Created: 8/6/2007 7:59:42 PM
Updated: 8/6/2007 11:37:07 PM
Edited by Jessica Clark, Reporter
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