HAVERHILL — The chances of recovery looked grim. No veterinarian could save the dog — its internal injuries were too severe.
There was hope, however, and it came in the form of a group of talented "surgeons" attending Whittier Regional Vocational Technical High School.
Their nimble-fingered efforts saved Freckles the Fire Safety Dog — who is now singing, walking and talking as though he'd never been ill.
Three Whittier students repaired the mechanical dog's internal cables, springs and motor, saving the Fire Department thousands of dollars. Freckles visits elementary and middle schools in Haverhill to teach students about fire safety — whether by speaking messages or demonstrating safety techniques.
The dog recently fell silent and motionless, and required repairs the city could not afford.
In stepped Whittier electronics/robotics students Andrew Plourde and Billy Gould of Haverhill, and Nick Cavallaro of Salisbury.
They spent several hours diagnosing and fixing shorted wires and broken cables inside the 4-foot-long Dalmatian replica.
"They stuck with it," said electronics instructor Robert Rondeau. "They had to break down and actually read the manual."
This wasn't the first time Whittier students had met Freckles.
"I remembered him from when I was younger and he visited Greenleaf (Elementary) School," said Gould of Haverhill. "We got to use our electronics knowledge to assess the problems."
The students struggled with Freckles' mechanical parts, including a heavy spring in his arm they had to reconnect so that his hand would work again. The dog's electrical charging system wasn't working right, his audio tape player didn't work and his power switch was loose.
"The most difficult part of this project was dismantling the dog and trying to figure out what was wrong with him," Plourde said. "When we got him, he wasn't working at all. We've fixed stuff before, but nothing like this."
The Fire Department bought the dog 10 years ago, partly with grant money, for about $20,000, said fire Lt. Richard Beaudoin. He said he was grateful to the Whittier students for fixing him.
"I think it's great," Beaudoin said. "It would've cost us umpteen thousands of dollars to send it back to California to get it fixed," he said. "I took it to a couple of other places, and no one would touch it."
With a new lease on life, Freckles is expected to visit Moody School at the end of the month as part of the Haverhill Exchange Club's Fire Prevention Week, Beaudoin said.
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Freckles back on his feet
The patient: Freckles the fire dog, mechanical mascot of the Haverhill Fire Department who needed major repairs.
The veterinarians: Whittier electronics/robotics students Andrew Plourde and Billy Gould of Haverhill, and Nick Cavallaro of Salisbury.
The treatment: Fixing shorted wires and broken cables inside the 4-foot-long Dalmation replica.
The prognosis: Freckles is back in action and is expected to visit Moody School at the end of the month.
