Wilshire the Fire Dog

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Wilshire the Fire Dog is Los Angeles City Fire Department's Fire Safety Training Dog. Stationed on the B-Shift with his handler, Firefighter Ryan Penrod, at Station 29 in Los Angeles, California, this Dalmatian has become a local, national and international celebrity, appearing on television and film and spreading his messages about fire safety and prevention, physical fitness, and animal rescue to children and adults everywhere.

Wilshire became a part of the LA City Fire Department in March of 2006, when his owner, a ten-year old child living in an apartment complex near Fire Station 29 approached the firefighters asking them to take in her puppy when her family realized their apartment was too small for Wilshire. Initially, the firefighters felt they could not care for the 3-month old Dalmatian either, and directed the girl to the nearest animal shelter. Upon learning that the shelter would only be able to care for the dog for one week, the girl insisted that her family ask the firefighters again. Upon hearing what would happen to the 3-month old if he wasn't adopted within the week, the firefighters decided they would adopt the dog on St. Patrick's Day of 2006, naming him Wilshire after Wilshire Boulevard, the street where their fire station was located.

Initially Wilshire was a fire station dog, spending each day and evening with the fifty firefighters who lived and worked there on 3-day rotations. Wanting to give Wilshire the best possible training, the Station 29 firefighters contacted Cesar Milan, the host of "The Dog Whisperer", an acclaimed dog trainer whose show airs on the National Geographic Channel. Cesar came to the firehouse and trained Wilshire how to live in the fire station and respect boundaries, creating episodes about the puppy for his show. Cesar taught Wilshire where he could and could not go within the fire station. He also showed the firefighters that they could keep him exercised without taking him outside of the station by running him on one of the treadmills for 20 to 30 minutes each day.

It was during the training for "The Dog Whisperer" that Firefighter Ryan Penrod and Wilshire became official partners. Penrod, a six year career firefighter with the Los Angeles City Fire Department, says of the match, "Believe it or not, he just took to me. I e-mailed the show and when they showed up, they asked the Captains, 'Hey, who does he follow or look for?', and for whatever the reason, he would follow me around, and we formed a bond, if you will. We've been buddies ever since." Shortly thereafter, Wilshire became a B-shift dog, coming to work and going home with Ryan Penrod. This gave Wilshire a needed break from the fire house, created more stability in his life, and gave him the opportunity to interact with other dogs.

Wilshire received further training from Clint Rowe, a Hollywood film trainer, who taught him several fire safety and prevention tricks, including "Stop, Drop and Roll" to teach children how to put out a clothing fire and "Get Low and Go" to show them how to get out of a smoky area. Rowe and Penrod used these tricks to put together a routine for Wilshire, so that he could spread his fire safety message to children everywhere. Penrod and Wilshire go to many events and schools throughout the Los Angeles area to demonstrate these tricks and train children about fire prevention and fire safety. It is their goal to visit every Los Angeles City School by the end of 2009. They are also working on producing a 20 minute video to teach about fire safety in the home, and they will make it available free of charge to any fire department who requests it for their fire prevention program.

In addition to teaching children, Penrod and Wilshire have expanded their mission to instruct the elderly how to stay safe. Training people about the importance of physical fitness and eating healthy is another mission that the pair has adopted. Because of Wilshire's background, their third focus is to teach citizens about the benefits of animal rescue and adoption.

Wilshire's missions gained notoriety after his appearances on "The Dog Whisperer" aired, and he has become a national and international celebrity. People from across the country and around the world look to Firefighter Penrod and Wilshire as an example of what they would like to develop in their communities. According to Penrod, "I get e-mails from all over the world, South Africa, England, asking how they can emulate the program that we set up here with him." In response to this, Penrod and the Los Angeles City Fire Department established the "Friends of Wilshire Foundation", a 501(c)(3) non-profit organization to expand Wilshire's message to instruct people everywhere and to help other fire departments begin their own canine fire safety training programs.

Besides making his appearances at various events and schools and filming safety videos, Wilshire, now 3 years old, enjoys spending his days on the B-Shift at Los Angeles Fire Station 29. Because 10% of Dalmatians suffer from hearing problems, Wilshire's veterinarian advised the firefighters not to take Wilshire on every call they respond to. Wilshire does occasionally respond to calls that come in while they are at fire safety appearances, and his hearing is 100% strong.

To learn more about the "Friends of Wilshire Foundation" and Wilshire the Fire Dog's missions, please visit www.wilshirethefiredog.com.