Chernobyl Disaster and the Dogs Left Behind

A few days ago was the 35th anniversary of the Chernobyl disaster in Ukraine - the worst nuclear disaster in history. Unfortunately, many dogs had to be left behind.

Worker with two dogs a few weeks after the Chernobyl disaster.

On April 26, 1986 the Chernobyl Nuclear Power Plant exploded, releasing 400 times more radioactive material into the Earth's atmosphere than the atomic bomb dropped on Hiroshima during WWII. Tens of thousands of people were forced to leave Chernobyl and surrounding areas, and many had to leave their pets (mostly dogs) behind, having been told they could return to their homes within a few days. Not only were they not allowed to return to their homes, workers known as "liquidators" shot as many dogs as they could to prevent the spread of radiation contamination.

The dogs that managed to avoid being shot lived short lives due to radiation, lack of food, harsh winters and attacks from wild animals. However, they managed to produce offspring that continue today.

Workers responsible for the upkeep of the no longer operational power plant have gone to great lengths to care for the dogs by giving them food and building them huts to stay warm. They play with the friendly ones and bury those who die. Some of the dogs are even given names. According to one guard, "They give us joy. For me personally, this is a kind of symbol of the continuation of life in this radioactive, post-apocalyptic world."

In 2016, Clean Futures Fund and several of their partners stepped in to offer assistance to the dogs living in the exclusion zone around Chernobyl. They provide food, medical care, vaccines and sterilizations.

In 2018, some puppies with low levels of radiation were allowed to be adopted into homes.

In 2019, HBO released a five-part series about Chernobyl, causing a huge outpouring of help and support for the dogs.

Earthquake, Bubonic Plague and a Fox Terrier

A fox terrier helped in the prevention of the bubonic plague after San Francisco's massive earthquake in the early 1900s.

The earthquake shook San Francisco on April 18, 1906 a little after 5 a.m. with a magnitude close to 8, killing an estimated 3,000 people and leaving more than 250,000 people homeless. About 80% of the city's infrastructure were ruined, with rats massing over destroyed land and open sewers.

According to John J. Conlon, a boy at the time, "There was a bubonic plague scare shortly after the fire and because the fleas on rats were carriers of the germs, the City paid a bounty for dead rats. These bounty payments were my introduction to the functions of the "middle man." An older lad enriched himself by paying the neighborhood youngsters with candy for dead rats. The rats he exchanged for cash at the repaired Emergency Hospital. The fire drove thousands of rats into our district and mother was horrified by them. Consequently, to avoid attracting them, all were instructed to securely cover garbage cans. Every morning, after the women had deposited the breakfast trash in the cans, I would remove the covers. Returning in about an hour, I would inspect the galvanized cans, and if any rats were trapped therein, cans were tipped so that my fox terrier could kill the emerging rodent; then to the "middle man" for candy."

Despite the preventive measures, outbreaks did occur. San Francisco was finally declared plague-free in 1908.

Dog Survives Train Wreck

Dog survives 1911 train wreck without injury in Florida.

Atlantic Coast Line train No. 85 coming from Orlando crashed just north of Kissimmee's Vine Street on November 30, 1911. The hit was described as "a spreading rail" and according to the Kissimmee Valley Gazette, it was "One of the most frightful wrecks of a passenger train ever known in this section..." According to The Orlando Daily Reporter-Star, "Of the seven cars composing the train, six left the track. The Jim Crow (racially segregated) car turned turtle down a 15-foot embankment and several of the occupants were injured." No one died and no one was seriously injured "except Mr. L.C. Royal, the baggage master, who was badly crushed from falling trunks." A dog, described as some sort of setter or spaniel, was riding in the baggage car and made it out unscathed.

Tina: Survived Flight 401 Crash

Tina, a white toy poodle, survived the crash of Eastern Air Lines Flight 401.

The crash site of Eastern Airlines Flight 401

Flight 401 from New York to Miami crashed into the Florida Everglades in 1972 shortly before it was suppose to land. Evelyn de Salazaar, who managed a Manhattan art gallery, was one of the 163 passengers on board. With her was her poodle Tina who was inside a carry on case that was tucked under her seat at the time of the crash. Evelyn died from multiple injuries and Tina was found alive at the scene of the crash unharmed. The cause of the crash was determined to be pilot error and 101 people out of 176 lost their lives.

Dogs and the St. Francis Dam Disaster

The collapse of the St. Francis Dam is the second greatest disaster in California history and considered by some as the worst American civil engineering disaster of the 20th century.

Remaining section of the St. Francis Dam after collapse.

The St. Francis Dam, which was located about 40 miles northwest of Los Angeles, was built between 1924 and 1926. The design and construction was carried out by the Bureau of Waterworks & Supply under the supervision of the organization's chief engineer William Mulholland.

Just before midnight on March 12, 1928 (the dam wasn't even two years old), the dam burst - sending over 12 billion gallons of water over 10 stories high racing through towns before reaching the ocean 54 miles away.

I was able to find information on three dogs who helped family members during the disaster.

According to Carolyn Chivvis Van Laar, who was 7 years old at the time of the disaster, their dog Don woke the family before the floodwaters descended, saving their lives. Don was given a gold medal from the Pasadena Post in 1930.

Lillian Curtis, who lived near the power plant below the dam site, woke to the sound of the floodwaters (which she thought was a tornado), warned her husband and two daughters, grabbed her young son and ran to a nearby hillside with the family dog at her side. There, she dug a hole, placed her son in it and put the dog on top to keep him warm. Lillian, her son and one other man were the only ones in that community to survive. Dianne Erskine-Hellrigel, executive director of the Community Hiking Club of Santa Clarita, said "I can still see that hole that she put her son in, though it has been 90 years."

According to a family member, her mother-in-law's family was killed in the disaster - her mother and brother died from the floodwaters, and her father died within a month after having contracted pneumonia. Her mother-in-law, Peggy, was 12 years old at the time. "Peggy found herself being washed downstream in a torrent of mud and debris. She grabbed a cedar chest that was afloat, and held on for dear life. She heard a dog barking in the darkness and attempted to steer herself toward the sound. It was her family dog Roscoe, a Labrador Retriever. Together they managed to find high ground."

At least 450 people lost their lives. The failure of the dam was attributed to human error and poor engineering judgment. Mulholland took full responsibility for the accident and stepped down as head of the City of Los Angeles Bureau of Waterworks & Supply.

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Tubby: Tacoma Bridge Disaster's Only Fatality

Tubby became a famous dog in history for being the only one to die that fateful day the Tacoma Bridge collapsed.

On July 1, 1940 the Tacoma Narrows Bridge that spanned the Tacoma Narrows strait of Puget Sound in Pierce County, Washington opened to traffic. The bridge was nicknamed Galloping Gertie because of the vertical movement of the deck during windy conditions. On November 7, 1940 the bridge collapsed under 40 mph winds.

Leonard Coatsworth, a news editor for the Tacoma News Tribune, was driving on the bridge before it was shut down, and in the car with him was his daughter's cocker spaniel in the backseat. The dog's name was Tubby, and according to Coatsworth's wife, Tubby "had three legs and was paralyzed."

"Just as I drove past the towers, the bridge began to sway violently from side to side. Before I realized it, the tilt became so violent that I lost control of the car... I jammed on the brakes and got out, only to be thrown onto my face against the curb... I didn't think of the dog when I first jumped out of the car," Coatsworth recalled. "I started back to the car to get the dog, but was thrown before I could reach it. The car itself began to slide from side to side on the roadway. I decided the bridge was breaking up and my only hope was to get back to shore."

Coatsworth's colleague, photographer Howard Clifford, was told to go to the bridge to capture pictures. According to Clifford, "When I arrived, the bridge had literally run amok, bouncing and twisting like a roller coaster." After learning about Tubby, Clifford (who liked dogs and had recently seen Tubby at a company picnic) tried to get the dog but failed to reach the car.

Also at the scene was Frederick Farquharson, an engineering professor who was hired to find a solution to reduce the oscillations of the bridge. He was there to monitor the bridge's motion and, being a dog lover, also tried to get Tubby out of the car. He made it to the car, reached in to get Tubby, and the frightened dog bit him on the hand. Farquharson gave up and managed to make it back to safety moments before the bridge collapsed.

Sadly, the car with Tubby inside fell some 200 feet into the water and was quickly swept away from the ruins due to the swift tides. Tubby was the only one to die.

"With real tragedy, disaster and blasted dreams all around me, I [Coatsworth] believe that right at this minute what appalls me most is that within a few hours I must tell my daughter that her dog is dead, when I might have saved him."

On October 14, 1950 the replacement bridge, nicknamed Sturdy Gertie, was opened to traffic.

Dogs on the Hindenburg

Two dogs were aboard the Hindenburg during its infamous flight from Germany to New Jersey in 1937. One dog was named Ulla. The other is unknown.

On May 3, 1937 the Hindenburg left Frankfurt, Germany. On May 6, after an uneventful journey across the Atlantic, the zeppelin burst into flames while attempting to land at the Lakehurst Naval Air Station in New Jersey. According to eyewitness accounts, it took only 30-40 seconds from the first flame to the smoldering wreckage on ground. Unbelievably, only 35 of the 97 people on board and one crewman working on the ground died. According to Dan Grossman, American airship historian, two dogs were kenneled on the Hindenburg. Both died in the fire.

Ulla, a German shepherd, belonged to Joseph Spah. Spah was a German acrobatic performer and was headed home after touring Europe. Ulla, who is said to have performed in Spah's acts, was to be given to his children as a pet upon his return home. Ulla and the other dog were kept in a restricted freight area of the airship which Spah visited often to walk and feed his dog. Spah was to be accompanied by a crew member during the visits, but there were times he went alone and was apparently caught doing so.

Spah survived the crash. He was able to jump from the airship while it was about 20 feet from the ground, breaking his ankle.

Because of Spah's unauthorized visits to Ulla he was considered a possible saboteur, using his dog as a cover to plant a bomb on the airship. The FBI investigated Spah and cleared him of any wrongdoing. Some experts believe the Hindenburg disaster was caused by pilot error (making a couple of sharp turns causing a tension strap to break and rip a hole in a gas bag) and static electricity (igniting the flame).

I can not find a picture of Ulla, nor can I find any more information about the other dog aboard the Hindenburg on that fateful day.