Arrest in dog rescue outrages pet lovers

Tennesseean.com ^

[mom4kittys]

Jarrod Martin was repeatedly told to back away from a roaring fire in his apartment building, but the sight of his dog jumping up and down against a glass door in a room filled with smoke was too much, he said.

[briant]

If my dog's about to be barbecued, f*** the law.

Don't worry. Jury nullification. If it's good enough for OJ then...

[CindyDawg]

Well, I'm just glad the police didn't shoot the dog when he came over the balcony. The guy should challenge this and ask for a jury trial.

[Fraulein]

The worst thing in the mind of most gov't workers is when someone demonstrates that they really aren't needed

Quote of the day!

[Mulder]

The bottom line is this: Martin showed up the macho Nashville Fire Department, who was sitting on its hands while his dog's life was in danger.

We've butted heads in the past, but you're 100% correct on this one.

How does it feel to be on the radical fringe BTW? ;-)

[briant]

The law's there for a reason.

And so is jury nullification.

[Movemout]

A dog is like your kid. You have to take care of them. I guess I am really surprised at some of these responses.

[NormsRevenge]

He said he had waited 30 minutes for firefighters to rescue his dog

I have a number of house pets I would die to rescue. Get the hell out of my way is all I can say.

[Mulder]

We cannot have people thinking for themselves , or WORSE, acting on their own iniative without department approval.

A have a friend who helped put out a fire after a helicopter crash many years ago. Once the FD arrived, the fire was more or less under control, but they weren't too happy about one of the serfs doing their job.

So the head honcho asked my friend to fill out a bunch of paperwork. He told the fire chief that if he had to fill out the paperwork, he wouldn't put out a fire in the future under similar circumstances. The chief thought about it, and decided this made sense so he dropped the issue, and let well enough alone.

At least back then, they had a little common sense.

[DB]

Did you even see that actual video of this "daring" rescue?

The guy never entered the building. He simply broke the glass door from the outside so the dog could get out. All was done in full view of the firefighters.

You're going just a little over the top on this one.

[Mulder]

I'm surprised that the cops didn't shoot the dog after it was rescued.

LOL! What is it with TN cops and dogs?

Also, what if this was a K-9 dog that needed rescuing. Would the FD had acted differently, since a K-9 is a police officer in many areas?

Would the JBTs have arrested one of their own for trying to rescue a dog? Quite the contrary, they'd give him a 'cop of the year' award or some such citation.

[Mulder]

FYI....

[Ben Bolt]

Fancy the screen name with a California flag . Hi sweetie .

[Slings and Arrows]

(My dog's life) > (Some bumf-shuffler's pride)

[isthisnickcool]

The *riskiest* thing most firefighters do on a daily basis is get in their cars and drive, (which is also the riskiest thing most folks do in their lives).

On average, about 100 firefighters are killed on-duty every year in the US. So, you are correct, the drive to work is one of the more dangerous things they do every day.

[MightyMouseToSaveThe Day]

Somebody on an earlier thread posted the email addresses of the Police Capt, the Mayor, news stations, and the Board of Police. So, I sent my email to all of them. Here's what i wrote:

"I read about the misguided and unfortunate actions the Nashville Police Dept decided to impose against Jarrod Martin for having the audacity to rescue his dog from his burning home. You may spare me the Police Dept’s version that Martin acted unsafely and that the Fire Dept had promised to try to rescue the dog after they’d extinguished the flames.

That’s a lame defense, and I think you’re making a mistake if you think that line sounds reasonable to the rest of the public. If it were my pet trapped in a burning house, or my child, I would not be content to wait calmly till the flames were extinguished. Or are you suggesting, perhaps, that if it were a human trapped inside, you wouldn’t have waited till the fire was extinguished? If that’s true, then you’re saying that rescuing a human is a higher priority for Nashville than rescuing someone’s beloved pet, who, in many cases, is just like a member of the family? If that’s your defense, then it’s not surprising that Mr Martin took it upon himself to take care of his own loved ones, rather than leave it to your dept when it was obviously not a priority for you.

People do all kinds of things when they’re trying to rescue their loved ones: run into burning buildings, exceed the speed limit when racing to the hospital, push others aside to reach trapped loved ones…all kinds of things that are understandable in context. Is that to say I condone speeding? Not usually. But I sure wouldn’t agree with arresting someone who was racing their dying child to the hospital because his speed exceeded the speed limit! Would the Nashville Police arrest a speeder in such a circumstance? Certainly the Nashville Police Dept has priorities for what they consider arrestable offenses? I think you should admit that you were wrong to arrest/charge Mr Martin and reiterate that you don’t advise people to take over the work of the Fire Dept ordinarily, but that you’d overreacted. Please don’t dig yourself a bigger hole by insisting that you were justified in this arrest when the rest of the country thinks the Nashville Police Dept has gone nuts. Not a good public image for Nashville and its tourism. I’ll be looking forward to your retraction."

I'll probably get the same generic reply from their PR officer that a friend got when she wrote to them. It was highly defensive and emphasized they were right, he was wrong. I'll post whatever reply I might get from them.

[Mr. Mojo]

Call me a criminal but I would have done the same thing

Me too. Unfortunately, Big Gov't makes crimminals out of many highly ethical people these days.

[Drammach]

I've read the article, and all the posts.
Here's my take.

Firstly, he told the cops/firemen the dog was in there.
Secondly, he waited 30 Minutes for them to rescue the dog.

Here's where we get to the idiocy.
He CLIMBED UP THE OUTSIDE OF THE BUILDING TO HIS BALCONEY.
That indicates;
#1. He never "entered" the building. No one would have had to "go in to get him". ( Several posters made this complaint.)
#2. The Nashville Fire Dept. does not know how to use a ladder, or does not have them. ( If a person can climb up there from outside, a fireman could have placed a ladder or ladder unit just as well, and retrieved the dog without "entering the building".

I would not lessen nor demean the job that police and firefighters do. It is dangerous, and they DO RISK THEIR LIVES for others.
But they also, on ocassion, act stupidly, especially when someone questions or challenges their authority.

Someone encroached upon their "personal turf", and they are using (abusing) the law to punish that person.

Just my opinion.

[Mulder]

They may also put this guy in jail. I'm sure we will all be sleeping safer at night

And quite a few people on this website would applaud that, as this thread demonstrates.

Give it a few more posts and you'll have some bootlicker hoping the guy gets to share a cell with 'bubba'.

[The Brush]

The firemen weren't in the building at the time. No lives were in danger except the pet and his owner. Had there been firefighters inside I would agree with you. I saw the movie backdraft, I know what "could have" happened. It's not like this guy does this at every fire. His emotions were running high. A pet is like a child to many people (although with less money being spent on dental care) give him a break.

[Rasputin_TheMadMonk]

"I'm surprised that the cops didn't shoot the dog after it was rescued. "

Considering recent event where Tennessee's LEOs and pets are concerned, you are not far from the mark, but I hazard a guess the scenario would go more like shooting the man and throwing the dog back into the fire.

The Volunteer States finest have a rather dark record recently where pets are concerned. For the record, I too would have gone in and tried to save my dogs, and yes, to hell with anyone who tried to get in the way.

My view is police officers and fire fighters are getting paid to take risks and accept a rather high degree of danger. It's all part of the job. If you don't want to put your ass on the line, then find a safer way to make your money. Until then stop whining when a 'civilian' makes you look bad.