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…"
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