Firefighters Free Husky Stuck In Tire Rim

ORANGE COUNTY, CA — We've heard of being stuck in a truck, but this? An inland Orange County husky owner called for help when his pet, Bam Bam, got his head stuck inside the rim of a spare tire, Wednesday afternoon.

"He called fire, police and ultimately ended up at VCA Orange County Vet Specialists," office manager Kathryn Ngoma told Patch.

The VCA Orange County Veterinary Specialists office has seen its share of strange animal stories — a bulldog that ate over 30 bottle nipples, a Boxer that downed a hundred hair clips, "usually the odd calls are about an animal ingesting something," Ngoma said.

Having a pet trapped, unable to free itself is rare, according to Ngoma.

The dog's owner called and said, "I've got an interesting situation we need help with," Ngoma said. After hours of work, firefighters and employees at the veterinary clinic finally freed the handsome husky from his tire trap.

How did the dog get there in the first place?

"Best guess? He was chasing a small animal through the yard, it dove through the rim and Bam Bam didn't," Ngoma posited.

When Bam Bam was discovered, his owner called police and fire. Still trapped in the tire rim, the husky ended up at the clinic, where vets and vet techs began shaving hair and trying to free the large dog.

With growing concerns about restrictions to the dog's airway, the vet clinic called in the Tustin Fire and Orange County Fire Authority Technical rescue teams to help Bam Bam out.

"Bam Bam was in great spirits for having his head wedged," Ngoma said, adding that "firefighters helping out said that they were almost more concerned than if Bam Bam was a person!"

The vets saw to it that Bam Bam was sedated and monitored his oxygen intake while firefighters worked to enlarge the opening using large power tools, Ngoma explained.

"It was definitely a joint effort in every way," she said.

Though Bam Bam spent the night at the vet clinic, he was expected to go home Thursday.

According to his doctors, "he'll have a bad hair day for a while," but will be back to running around the yard in no time.