That’s No Reindeer! Firefighters Rescue Ottawa Dog from Rooftop

A reindeer on the rooftop is one thing, but a dog on a roof, that’s a head-scratcher.

An “agile and adventurous” pup from Ottawa, Canada, had quite the adventure on Tuesday, according to the Ottawa Fire Service, and needed to be rescued by firefighters.

It began when a concerned neighbor called OFS around 9 a.m.

“It appeared as though a dog was on the back roof of a Rowhome on Sorento Street in Barrhaven,” said a press release written about the incident. “Ottawa Fire Dispatch staff gets all kinds of requests and this one was especially perplexing. The question on everyone’s mind was ‘How did the dog get there?'”

The answer is that the medium-sized pup thought it would be a great idea to push through a window after a lock malfunctioned.

“The black and white dog then ventured out onto the second story roof and started to bark when it realized the predicament it now found itself in,” the release says. “Ottawa Fire Services fully appreciates that pets are an important part of a family. Therefore, our role in an incident like this becomes injury prevention and assistance to ensure pet owners are not putting themselves in danger.”

Crews arrived at the scene — without the use of lights or sirens — and were able to access the roof as well as enter the home. An attempt to lasso the dog with a “lasso restraint” proved unsuccessful, but the pup was “frightened enough by the tool” to move closer to the window where firefighters were able to snag him. (Sadly, the fearful dog bit one of his rescuers).

With the rescue complete at 9:36 a.m., there was only one thing left to do: make sure the dog didn’t get out again. “The door to that particular bedroom was closed so the dog could not attempt another rooftop escapade,” OFS said.