Athens firefighters pull dog from fire, revives him

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Firefighters and EMS personnel made an amazing rescue Thursday morning.

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The Athens-Clarke County Fire Department said they were called out to a fire along Ruth Street just before 11 a.m. Neighbors said they called 911 and heard barking coming from the back of the home. Within minutes before arriving, firefighters said that barking stopped.

Firefighters quickly started to enter the front of the home to attack the blaze, but neighbors were also able to direct the firefighters to the back. There, just inside the home, they found and rescue “Butch” the dog.

The dog had a faint heartbeat and wasn’t really breathing, so firefighters said they hooked the dog up to an oxygen line using a special K-9 mask. The firefighters sat with the pup, petting him and keeping the oxygen flowing until he perked up a bit. He showed a little more signs of life when his owner, who was out when the fire started, arrived back at the home.

Paramedics with National EMS gave the dog a few breathing treatments and some water before Butch was released back to his owner. Butch then got a trip to the vet, where he was kept overnight, and luckily released the next day.

The fire, which was contained to one room, was quickly put out. It left fire damage to one room and some smoke and water damage to other portions of the home.

Firefighters have not yet determined the cause of the blaze, but are centering their investigation on a space heater.

Butch was continuing to recover at home as of late Friday afternoon.