For several years, a delightful adjunct to many airshows has been an unusual little act in which skydiver Ron Sirull makes a parachute jump accompanied by his best friend, in tandem. This is not your average tandem jump, in which two skydivers share a larger parachute rig to descend safely to Erath, together... its a man and dog jump in which a small and adorable Dachshund joins his master for a bit of fresh air, ensconced in a special harness attached to Sirull's chest.

Scheduled to be a feature this weekend at the Air and Space Show at Vandenberg Air Force Base, the jumps are under attack by Animal Right's advocates who obviously have a little too much time on their hands. Shirley Cram, shelter director and treasurer for the Volunteers for Inter-valley Animals claims that, "What we feel is this is cruelty to animals. It's exploiting the dog. It certainly isn't fun for that dog to jump out of that plane." Ms. Cram obviously speaks Dachshund better than anyone who seems to know Sirull… since no complaints have yet been heard from Brutus…

Sirull has a specially made harness to attach Brutus to his chest (much like the tandem rigs that have revolutionized sport parachuting training and made the sport even safer than ever), and the Dachshund even has his own set of custom canine goggles to keep his eyes from tearing up in freefall. So far, Brutus has logged over 100 jumps (apparently equal to 700 jumps in dog years, jokes Sirull...) and seems happy to stay close to Ron on or above the ground. "He gets all excited when I'm getting my gear ready," said Ron Sirull of Delray Beach, Fla. "He's totally up for it."

Brutus holds the canine skydiving altitude record having jumped from a record height of 15,000 ft in May 1997. The UK title is held by Katie, a Jack Russell Terrier, jumping with her owner from a height of 12,000 ft in October 1987. The military has long used dogs in jump applications where they attach them to their handlers (on the chest) in a manner similar to that employed by Sirull.

Sirull's veterinarian and the Arizona Humane Society have already endorsed the activity as being safe for Brutus and Sirull obviously goes to great lengths to keep Brutus safe. Indeed, Sirull's airshow contract calls for the show to provide In-Cabin air transport for Brutus when airline travel is required.

Having known Ron for several years via a number of airshows and ICAS Conventions, ANN Editor-In-Chief Jim Campbell can also testify that Sirull's affection for the dog borders on the fanatic.  "I remember one ICAS Convention when Ron kept Brutus wrapped up all week because the Convention Center had the air conditioning turned down too low and Brutus was shivering a bit... he loves that dog and wouldn't dare do anything that would unduly harm that pooch. They're a pair... and they skydive that way. The Animal Right's folks are barking up the wrong tree on this one…" 

FMI: http://www.brontus.com (not currently working)