Dog Who Beat Odds In Home Explosion Can't Beat Blood Clot

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By Neil Johnson -- njohnson@tampatrib.com
Tampa Bay Online updated 9:16 p.m. MT, Sun., Feb. 22, 2009

Jingles, a 10-year-old American Eskimo dog, survived a house exploding around him, being buried under a wall of rubble, burns and a swollen brain.

On Saturday, though, Jingles could not survive a blood clot. He died about 4 p.m., according to a release from the Suncoast Animal League.

Jingles was inside a house in Dunedin when it exploded Feb. 11, throwing the dog and the house's occupant, Duane Cole, into the back yard.

Cole was taken to Tampa General Hospital but family members have told the hospital not to release information about his condition.

Firefighters found Jingles buried under a collapsed wall. The dog had swelling in the brain, smoke inhalation, a swollen jaw, broken teeth, severe burns and metal shrapnel embedded in his skin.

After being stabilized, Jingles was taken to Florida Veterinary Specialists on Busch Lake Boulevard in Tampa.

On Thursday, Jingles had surgery on his wounds and appeared on Friday to be recovering well.

On Saturday, while his wounds were being treated, Jingles went into cardiac arrest brought on by a blood clot. Veterinarians were able to revive the dog, but Jingles did not survive a second, more severe heart attack.

Investigators continue to look into what caused the house at 1525 Michigan Blvd. to explode. The blast destroyed the house that had no natural gas connection.