Spain's puppy "paramedic" doesn't actually know how to perform CPR, a police spokesman told Euronews. It's all a stunt to get schoolkids excited when they visit the station.
ADVERTISEMENTA Spanish police dog is making headlines thanks to a video where he appears to be performing cardiopulmonary resuscitation (CPR).
It's almost too good to be true — and that's exactly what it is. The dog’s performance is "just a stunt", a police spokesman, Fernando Rodriguez told Euronews.
“Poncho was trained to do this number for school visits, he doesn’t actually know how to perform CPR," said Rodriguez. "In fact, there’s no dog in the world who’s trained to do that."
He added that Poncho has been doing the stunt for quite a few years now and that he can only do it with his trainer.
In the video posted by police, Poncho seems to be performing CPR on his “collapsed” trainer by jumping and down on his chest and resting his head against the trainer’s neck to presumably check his pulse.
The tweet reads: "Heroic" acting by our #fourleggedfriend Poncho who did not doubt a second to "save the life" of a policeman by giving him CPR in a brilliant way. A dog is the only being in the world who will love you more than itself - John Billings
Madrid’s municipal police thought the performance would add “a little bit of colour” to an otherwise “unattractive” presentation of police activities to elementary school kids.
But rest assured, Poncho does have some serious duties as an explosives-sniffing dog. “He’s trained to go at it alone, that’s why he carries the blue light on his back,” said Rodriguez.
He added: "No dog could ever perform CPR on a human being."
"They don't have the strength to do so nor could they ever know how to check for a pulse."