Tag: English Bulldog

Firefighter Pays It Forward 21 Years Later by Saving Dog’s Life

When Rob Lee was 6 years old, a fire broke out in his family’s Fresno, Calif., house on the day before the Fourth of July. All of his family members were able to get out safely, including Lee’s dog, Mackie, who was carried out by a firefighter before the house collapsed in flames.

Inspired by that hero who saved Mackie’s life, Lee became a firefighter. He worked with several other fire departments before getting his dream job with the Fresno Fire Department.

Fast-forward to exactly 21 years after that house fire. On July 3, Lee was one of the firefighters who responded to a Fresno house fire that was probably ignited by fireworks that had set a nearby tree ablaze. Inside the house was a 10-year-old English Bulldog named Samson.

“There was a firefighter already inside tending to a dog and they were trying to get the dog out,” Lee told KFSN. “The dog had already bit that firefighter, so they were trying to get the dog out of the structure safely.”

With his helmet cam recording the rescue on video, Lee entered the burning house and saved Samson’s life.

“Houses can be rebuilt but dogs can’t be replaced,” Lee told KFSN.

Samson was treated for smoke inhalation, according to his owner, James Verdugo, who’s a veteran and suffers from PTSD. “He’s all I cared about,” Verdugo told KMPH. He wasn’t home at the time of the fire, but his roommates were, and were able to escape to safety.

After Verdugo got a call that his house was on fire and was driving home, he got another call that Samson had been rescued. “I don’t know if I’ve ever felt more overjoyed in the middle of so much tragedy,” he told KMPH. “It’s like everything was okay, even though my house was gone.”

Working with the Fresno Fire Department is “an absolute honor,” Lee told KFSN. “I can’t believe that I get to do this job.”

An online fundraiser to cover the cost of Samson’s $6,000 veterinarian bill has already raised over $5,000. You can make a contribution here.

Updated July 9, 2020

Photo: @VanessaABC30/Twitter

Firefighters Rescue 14-Year-Old Bulldog Trapped in Well for 4 Days

Lassie wasn’t around to alert the owner of Angus, a blind, 14-year-old English Bulldog, that her dog had fallen into a well, but luckily firefighters from Costa Mesa, Calif., came to the rescue of the elderly pooch.

Angus fell into the 10-foot well in his backyard four days ago, KCBS reports. His dog mom, Robyn Hubbard, said Angus hadn’t barked and she wasn’t even aware there was a well in her yard. A neighbor discovered it while helping her search for Angus.

“She started crawling around and all of a sudden she’s like, ‘Did you know about this hole?'” Hubbard told KCBS. “And I said, ‘What hole? What are you talking about?'”

Angus, who has no eyes, hadn’t been in the backyard for a year. “He can’t even really walk from the bed to the den,” Hubbard said. He’d suffered several seizures earlier this week, and she thought he may have wandered off somewhere to die.

“Obviously, he’s not on his last legs like I thought he was,” she told KCBS.

An Hour-Long Rescue Effort

To free Angus, the firefighters dug an access hole next to the well. One of the firefighters was then lowered head first into the well to pick up the dog. The rescue effort took almost an hour.

After being reunited with his grateful dog mom, firefighters were nice enough to transport both of them to a local animal hospital, where Angus was evaluated.

Amazingly, Angus was dehydrated but had no broken bones and is in good condition, KCBS reports. In a photo tweeted about two hours after his ordeal, the old boy appears to be resting comfortably at the animal hospital.

Busy Week for Southern California Firefighters

This has been a terrible, busy week for Southern California firefighters due to the devastating Blue Cut Fire and other wildfires made worse by the state’s severe drought.

Just a few days ago, a dog who’d been “sheltering in place” near a burning structure in the Blue Cut Fire ran and leaped into the arms of Cal Fire Battalion Chief Mike Mohler. Thank you, firefighters, and stay safe!

Photo via Twitter

Jeepers! Man Drives Vehicle off Tow Truck to Save Dog

Was it an act of bravery — or stupidity?

Victor Jaime of Hammond, Ill., brought a friend and George, his English Bulldog, along to pick up some food on the night of March 29. He parked his Jeep Wrangler in a Walgreens parking lot, and left George inside with the engine running while he and his friend walked over to the nearby Portillo’s restaurant.

Just a few minutes later, a tow truck from the Lincoln Towing company had hooked up the Jeep, with George still inside it.

When Jaime saw what was happening, he ran and jumped into the driver’s seat of his Jeep. He honked the horn and shouted at the tow truck driver to stop.

“He could definitely hear me. I was yelling at him,” Jaime told DNAinfo. “He was blatantly looking at me when he backed up.”

After traveling about a block, the tow truck finally stopped — but then the driver raised the hook, hoisting the Jeep even higher off the ground.

“I think the guy might force me out, or even have a gun,” Jaime said.

He decided to put the Jeep in drive and hit the gas. “It was a huge drop,” he said. “Once I landed, I checked George, and that’s when I took off.”

Tony Marengo, who lives in an apartment across the street, heard Jaime yelling and recorded the incident on his cell phone. His video has been viewed more than 2.1 million times.

“We are used to seeing cars get towed out of the Walgreens lot next door with lightning speed,” Marengo wrote on YouTube. “Usually NOT WITH A PERSON IN THE CAR, though. And this guy definitely didn’t want to get towed…”

Jaime told DNAinfo his car wasn’t damaged and, most importantly, George wasn’t harmed.

“I’m no hero,” he said. “I’m a dog lover.”

After speaking to a lawyer and the Illinois Commerce Commission, Jaime found out the tow truck driver broke the law, which states, “No vehicle shall be relocated where the owner of the vehicle or the owner’s agent is present or arrives on the scene before the vehicle is completely removed from the private property, produces the ignition key to the vehicle, and the owner or agent is able and does immediately remove the vehicle from the private property.”

However, Jaime was also in the wrong — not just for leaving George in a vehicle with the engine running, but for parking in the Walgreen’s lot, which has signs warning it’s for store customers only.

“It was A LEGAL TOW are you reading what I am typing HE LEFT THE CAR WHERE HE WASN’T SUPPOSED TO so we made it right AND TOWED IT,” wrote kballard27, who may or may not work for Lincoln Towing, in a comment on YouTube.

“I hope you understand there are 2 sides to every story the white knights side and the towing company side THE LEGAL side.”

There’s also a third side to the story, but unfortunately, George can’t talk. If he could, he’d likely tell Jaime to just leave him at home the next time he has to run an errand.

Photo via YouTube

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