Killer Snout Hicky

[Joe Appleby]

Got a call from one of my tech yesterday. He told me there had been an accident. While he was pre-spraying upstairs, a small 8 month old dog had stuck his snout in the vacuum hose downstairs. By the time my tech found him, his mouth was bleeding and tongue was so swollen he could barely breathe. I paid for the vet bill and being a kind humanitarian, kicked in the 380.00 cleaning bill.

My question is (before every yahoo tells their war story), does anyone take any precautions with their vac hoses around animals. My experience has been pets are afraid to come near it. I believe this is an isolated rare incident. I never dreamed this could happen and it never had. My customer felt my tech was reckless and irresponsible.

 

[Bob Foster]

Is the dog going to be OK?

I think it would be very unlikely to happen again and how could you prevent it other than having no pets around at all. They usually don't like the noise and hide under a bed.

I feel bad for the tech and you but more so for the dog and the owner. You did the right thing.

 

[Dolly Llama]

My question is , does anyone take any precautions with their vac hoses around animals.

yes, and kids too.
Same for spotters/chems

My customer felt my tech was reckless and irresponsible.

he was
He shouldn't of left an open vac hose laying around while he was off doing "what ever"
Should of been a tool left hooked up while he was tabbing and running out the van


.L.T.A.

 

[Brian L]

The owners should also be responsible enough to keep their pets outside during the cleaning or away from the areas being cleaned.


Glad the dog will be ok.

 

[Guest]

Like Larry said, never leave an open vac hose laying out. Hook the wand up to it.

 

[Dolly Llama]

The owners should also be responsible enough to keep their pets outside during the cleaning or away from the areas being cleaned.

that's true
but what should be and what is...is

..L.T.A.

 

[Jim Pemberton]

Open vacuum hoses grab draperies, rugs, rags, garden mulch, toys, salt shakers, forks, knives, spoons, wigs, garments, pets, and children (there is an urban legend going around in our industry about a child's death. I've never been able to confirm it)

We tend to leave tools off because of the noise that is created by some tools when left open to the air. Its just too dangerous.

I've got some funny stories, but the subject is really too serious to lighten it up at this point.

 

[Rex Tyus]

Larry nailed it again. Exactly what I was thinking.

The owners should also be responsible enough to keep their pets outside during the cleaning or away from the areas being cleaned.


Glad the dog will be ok.

Luddy is right too. However, we(or the tech on site) are/is responsible to make sure that happens. It would need to be added to the preinspection checklist and tactfully enforced. I have had to get pretty firm in the past. It can be a touchy situation.

 

[The Preacher]

i hear MArdy claim's the most "SUCK" down at Cooter Pond, now that he has a Vortex!!! :?: :?: :?:

 

[MarkCermak]

We ALWAYS hook a tool (wand, stair tool, upholstery tool, etc.) to the end of the hose before turning on the truckmount or while ts running.

Very sorry to hear

 

[Lyman]

I wonder if you heard the bark coming out of the blower exhaust.....hehehe

 

[John Watson]

Sorry to hear, double check with your Ins Co., but they will probably claim negligence on your crews part, maybe not? Glad little yapper is OK.

I first heard of this happing by Dr Edgar P. York in the early 80's. Les Jones compadre there in Greenville was the culprit. Wish the Ikester (Ike M) would do a video about his experience back then like he did at the inspectors class we went to.. It was just halarious after the fact..
.

 

[Mike Draper]

I have to say that I agree with the custy. when I first started a little girl had stuck her hand on my vac hose and it sucked her arm up completely. It could have just as easily sucked her eyeball out and I would have been finished. We do thing sdifferently now. Before EVERY JOB starts I warn the custy's if they have kids or animals that my vac hose is very dangerous and please keep animals in a room until were finished, and to please keep kids away,kids love to know how things workand are curious by nature. If little kids are even in the house I will have my tech hold the vac hose in his hand until the prep work is done or we will turn the machine down to idle. In business nowadays it's not " if you get sued, but when".

 

[Ability1975]

would of thought it wise to list all these could go wrongs and dos and donts on your T&Cs when you get the job then its there fault not yours.

but the pooch .............Ouch !!!

but I did PMSL at 1st sorry brit sense of houmour

 

[Josh Adler]

Cmon Uncle Joey.......Even your young nephew knows not to leave a hose unattended.....glad the dogs alright. good move on not chargin the customer.

 

[bob vawter]

SOUNDS ta ME like FIRST HAND...observation there chuckEE....?

huh??

And..YES i DID suck up an errant chipmunk one time........heard him all the way to the waste tank!
I chased him around for at LEAST...10 min!

 

[rhino1]

The thing to maybe think about is, even if you laid the hose down in a "safe" spot, somebody in the house can easily kick it somewhere else, and you come back to find the thing climbed the drapes and sucked down your customer's pet parakeet,who at the time was perched on the curtain rod, but is now nothing but a pile of dirty feathers floating at the top of your waste tank.....

 

[Greenie]

This whole time, I'm thinking...good thing Joe runs hydramasters, or the dog would have had a labotamy. :wink:

Josh, I see your trucks everyday, don't be shy, stop by the shop and visit. 45581 Industrial Pl. Suite 1

 

[XTREME1]

I use a form from wayne miller explaining my expectations and I always bring the vac hose in last with a tool in last and it always has a tool attached unattended

 

[MicahR]

Even though you tell the custy to keep kids out of the areas your working in, it seldom happens 100%. If I noticed there was going to be kinds around I used a simple and very effective demo.

I would ask for an empty soda can. With the machine on I would seal the hose around the top of the can and show them what it would do. As they looked at the flattened soda can I ask them what they thought would happen if they got it stuck on their ear. The mother and the kids got the idea loud and clear. Mom made sure they stayed away and the kids made themselves scarce.

I kept a tennis ball in my spotting bag. I hated the whistling of a tool on the hose, so I would put the tennis ball on the end of the hose any time the machine was on and the tool was off. To much of a chance of having something happen.

Glad the Dog didn't die. That would be as bad as killing one of their kids.

 

[Ron Werner]

I was told years ago that a basic dry vacuum machine has enough power to collapse your lungs.


The only story I had heard was from a IICRC class, where the guy laid out the hose, went out to start the truck, the vac guage shot up, then fell a little, then shot up again. The pooch got its nose stuck on the end and sucked the innards out of it! ewwww

 

[Eric Valentine]

I heard about a cleaner in Colorado that did a REALLY good job of clearing his head with a CDS. He was stuffed up with a cold and had the bright idea to suck the stuff out of his nose. He succeeded all right, killing him instantly.



P.S. This information came from a friend that works for the company in question. The former cleaner worked for a different location. It may or may not be true, but I have no reason to doubt the story (the friend is honest to a fault)