Despite viral video, experts say dogs can't really perform CPR

Experts call video cute 'trick'

Have you seen the video posted on Twitter by the Municipal Police of Madrid of the dog trained to perform CPR? It's been viewed millions of times.

If you haven't seen the video, you can watch it here.

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In the video, the dog is seen pouncing up and down on the chest of the police officer who has fallen to the ground. The K-9 even stops intermittently, lays his head on the officer's neck and appears to check if the officer is breathing.

The post, which is in Spanish, said that the dog didn't hesitate to save the life of the officer. The video is both adorable and inspiring.

But experts say the dog is probably not actually going to save a life with that technique.

In a quest to determine if doggie-led CPR is possible, The Washington Post contacted the lead trainer at the Global Training Academy in Somerset, Texas. The facility trains dogs to become K-9s who can perform a variety of tasks from sniffing out drugs and bombs to tracking down suspects. Ronnie Johnson told the Post he didn't think a dog could be trained to do CPR, though.

The Post also contacted an official with the Red Cross who called the video cute but not actually CPR.

Don't be disheartened. Nobody is actually criticizing the dog for his efforts and the video is still "pawfully" cute.

 

 


About the Author

Julie Moreno has worked in local television news for more than 25 years. She came to KSAT as a news producer in 2000. After producing thousands of newscasts, she transitioned to the digital team in 2015. She writes on a wide variety of topics from breaking news to trending stories and manages KSAT’s daily digital content strategy.

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