Hot Dogging

Florida Man Burned After His Dog Catches Fire:

Telma Botcherby, the dog’s owner was treating her dog with flea and tick spray when she then noticed a live tick on the floor and tried to burn it with a lighter, according to a Broward Sheriff’s Office report. The dog became startled and jumped across where Botcherby was trying to burn the tick. The dog then burst into flames, officials said.

Telma then screamed for her husband who grabbed the flaming dog and rushed to the pool.

We're going to say this again: Stop, Drop, and Roll.

It was a noble gesture, and, really, how often do you think about what you'd do if your dog was on fire?  I have run through a lot of potential emergency scenarios, but that one never came up.

Of course, it wouldn't happen to me because I don't let my dog in the house.  Even if I did, I would take it outside to apply flammable flea and tick treatments.  What's more I would not use flammable liquids to get the fleas and ticks off my dog.  They have a nice shampoo which, in conjunction with a garden hose, works just fine.  And, finally, I would not try to use a lighter to ignite a tick crawling across my floor, though I might crush it with a Zippo.  I think even one of my little BIC butanes would do the job on a hard surface. 

I had a friend who, when he was out with us coyote hunting, would shoot ticks with his twenty-two.  That was out in the woods back in the late '60s, early '70s.  He'd put them on a stump or a a tree or something so he had a good backstop.  It was still bizarre -- not as bizarre as torching a dog, though. 

By the way, Botcherby's husband's name is Jess Olivas.  Olivas had to be taken to the hospital with extensive second-degree burns: 

Officials said 18 to 24 percent of Olivas’ body was burned including his right arm, left forearm, chest and face.

That's serious stuff.  The dog is apparently still alive and was taken the next day to an animal hospital for treatment.  Sometimes stupid is like an onion; it has layers.