{"status":"ok","message-type":"work","message-version":"1.0.0","message":{"indexed":{"date-parts":[[2026,8,18]],"date-time":"2026-08-18T02:03:10Z","timestamp":1787018590868,"version":"build-2736575974"},"reference-count":25,"publisher":"SAGE Publications","issue":"1","license":[{"start":{"date-parts":[[2020,9,9]],"date-time":"2020-09-09T00:00:00Z","timestamp":1599609600000},"content-version":"tdm","delay-in-days":0,"URL":"https:\/\/journals.sagepub.com\/page\/policies\/text-and-data-mining-license"}],"content-domain":{"domain":["journals.sagepub.com"],"crossmark-restriction":true},"short-container-title":["Med Sci Law"],"published-print":{"date-parts":[[2021,1]]},"abstract":"<jats:p>While deaths caused by interactions with dogs in medico-legal situations most often involve trauma from attacks, in certain circumstances, deaths may occur from sharing environmental hazards that the animal has been exposed to during attempted rescues. Search of the Forensic Science South Australia (FSSA), Australia, autopsy database over a 16-year period from 2004 to 2020 found three such cases, including two women aged 46 and 61 years who were both killed in separate incidents after being struck by vehicles when they attempted to rescue dogs that had strayed onto busy roads. The final case was a 53-year-old man who drowned in a river while trying to rescue his dog. A review of Internet databases and news sources revealed other cases where would-be dog rescuers had drowned in rivers and the sea or had succumbed to hypothermia in frozen lakes and waterways. Other hazardous situations involve house fires, falls from heights, electrocution and envenomation. The characteristic features of these cases are of a dog (often a pet) getting itself into, or being found in, a dangerous situation, with owners or bystanders then attempting rescue. The dangers of the situation are either ignored or underestimated by the rescuers who often also misjudge the capacity of dogs to survive\/self-rescue. Cases may therefore be encountered in forensic investigations where death or serious injury has occurred during attempts to protect an animal from particular types of environmental dangers. Unlike the owners, it is not infrequently documented that the dogs have survived the danger unharmed.<\/jats:p>","DOI":"10.1177\/0025802420955074","type":"journal-article","created":{"date-parts":[[2020,9,9]],"date-time":"2020-09-09T15:14:07Z","timestamp":1599664447000},"page":"61-63","update-policy":"https:\/\/doi.org\/10.1177\/sage-journals-update-policy","source":"Crossref","is-referenced-by-count":4,"title":["The \u2018canine rescue\u2019 phenomenon"],"prefix":"10.1177","volume":"61","author":[{"ORCID":"https:\/\/orcid.org\/0000-0002-0524-5942","authenticated-orcid":false,"given":"Roger W","family":"Byard","sequence":"first","affiliation":[{"name":"Forensic Science SA and the Adelaide School of Medicine, The University of Adelaide, Australia"}],"role":[{"vocabulary":"crossref","role":"author"}]},{"ORCID":"https:\/\/orcid.org\/0000-0001-9176-8522","authenticated-orcid":false,"given":"Neil EI","family":"Langlois","sequence":"additional","affiliation":[{"name":"Forensic Science SA and the Adelaide School of Medicine, The University of Adelaide, Australia"}],"role":[{"vocabulary":"crossref","role":"author"}]}],"member":"179","published-online":{"date-parts":[[2020,9,9]]},"reference":[{"key":"bibr1-0025802420955074","doi-asserted-by":"publisher","DOI":"10.1097\/00000433-199909000-00005"},{"key":"bibr2-0025802420955074","doi-asserted-by":"publisher","DOI":"10.1097\/01.paf.0000257395.90724.39"},{"key":"bibr3-0025802420955074","doi-asserted-by":"publisher","DOI":"10.1053\/jpsu.2001.25670"},{"key":"bibr4-0025802420955074","doi-asserted-by":"publisher","DOI":"10.2460\/javma.2000.217.836"},{"key":"bibr5-0025802420955074","doi-asserted-by":"publisher","DOI":"10.1007\/s00414-002-0332-9"},{"key":"bibr6-0025802420955074","doi-asserted-by":"publisher","DOI":"10.1097\/PAF.0b013e3181dfc98b"},{"key":"bibr7-0025802420955074","first-page":"1","volume":"8","author":"Ghasemzadeh I","year":"2015","journal-title":"J Med Life"},{"key":"bibr8-0025802420955074","doi-asserted-by":"publisher","DOI":"10.1097\/TA.0b013e31823a4bb9"},{"key":"bibr9-0025802420955074","doi-asserted-by":"crossref","unstructured":"Byard RW, Langlois NEI. Variable mechanisms of dog-related deaths.\n                      Am J Forensic Med Pathol\n                      . Epub ahead of print 11 August 2020. 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Indianapolis man dies trying to rescue dog from icy pond, https:\/\/www.nbcnews.com\/news\/us-news\/indianapolis-man-dies-trying-rescue-dog-icy-pond-n946426 (accessed 25 April 2020)."},{"key":"bibr15-0025802420955074","unstructured":"Family drowns trying to rescue dog from churning waves at beach, https:\/\/www.nydailynews.com\/news\/national\/family-drowns-rescue-dog-churning-waves-beach-article-1.1208853 (accessed 25 April 2020)."},{"key":"bibr16-0025802420955074","unstructured":"Gordon J. Homeowner dies in house fire after running back into burning property to save dogs, https:\/\/www.dailymail.co.uk\/news\/article-2609446\/Man-dies-trying-save-pets-house-fire.html (accessed 25 April 2020)."},{"key":"bibr17-0025802420955074","doi-asserted-by":"publisher","DOI":"10.1007\/s100240010120"},{"key":"bibr18-0025802420955074","unstructured":"Tanner S. John Emery. Medical pioneer whose work cut the toll of cot deaths, https:\/\/www.theguardian.com\/news\/2000\/may\/15\/guardianobituaries1 (accessed 25 April 2020)."},{"key":"bibr19-0025802420955074","unstructured":"Oligschlaeger E. Man killed in hit-and-run while saving dog, https:\/\/kslnewsradio.com\/1896020\/hit-and-run-saving-dog\/? (accessed 25 April 2020)."},{"key":"bibr20-0025802420955074","unstructured":"Zimmerman J. South Perth crash: two men hit by car trying to rescue dog, https:\/\/www.perthnow.com.au\/news\/wa\/south-perth-crash-two-men-hit-by-car-trying-to-rescue-dog-ng-f45077dee9eed83b590cfcd1f23b018b (accessed 25 April 2020)."},{"key":"bibr21-0025802420955074","unstructured":"Edwards KT. Hero dies saving his dog from an oncoming train, https:\/\/3milliondogs.com\/3-million-dogs\/hero-dies-saving-his-dog-from-an-oncoming-train\/ (accessed 25 April 2020)."},{"key":"bibr22-0025802420955074","unstructured":"Man dies trying to rescue his dog from cliff, https:\/\/www.channel3000.com\/man-dies-trying-to-rescue-his-dog-from-cliff\/ (accessed 25 April 2020)."},{"key":"bibr23-0025802420955074","unstructured":"Two teenagers electrocuted while trying to rescue dog from canal in California, https:\/\/www.chicagotribune.com\/news\/nationworld\/ct-teens-electrocuted-trying-to-save-dog-20190402-story.html (accessed 25 April 2020)."},{"key":"bibr24-0025802420955074","unstructured":"Pearlman J. 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