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Dramatic rescue: Peachtree City firefighters pull 140-pound dog to safety

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Updated  April 26, 2024 6:28pm EDT
Peachtree City
FOX 5 Atlanta

Dramatic dog rescue

Dramatic photos of Peachtree City firefighters rescuing a family's dog from their burning home. Rescuers say it was touch and go and wait until you hear how big this dog is.

PEACHTREE CITY, Ga. - FOX 5 has dramatic photos of Peachtree City firefighters rescuing a family's dog from their burning home. Rescuers say it was touch and go and wait until you hear how big this dog is. 

His name is Napoleon, and he is a 10-year-old Newfoundland. He’s had a hard week. Firefighters found his lifeless body on the bedroom floor of his family's Peachtree City condo Tuesday. They said smoke was on the ceiling from the floor from the fire, and they used an infrared camera to find him. The only way out for Napoleon and his rescue team was through this window. The big fella weighs 140 pounds. 

"When I saw him being carried by the firefighters, that was the scariest moment," said Shelly Joseph, his owner.

Joseph works at a nearby Target and rushed home to see what happened next. The dramatic pictures tell part of the story. After squeezing through the window, again firefighters and dog together, they set to work on life-saving measures including oxygen. 

Peachtree City Fire Rescue says it just got a larger oxygen mask for dogs. Good thing for Napoleon. Then they loaded him on a backboard used for humans and carried him to a waiting fire department pickup. 

"I think it took five firefighters to carry the backboard. That’s the size of a human," said Lt. Cody Ivey of Peachtree City Fire Rescue. 

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Firefighters of Peachtree City heroically lift Napoleon, a 140-pound Newfoundland dog, out of a burning condo. (Supplied)

Firefighters rushed him to an emergency vet for further lifesaving intervention. 

It worked! Napoleon was released three days later in good health and was at the destroyed condo for a reunion with his rescuers and family. 

"It’s awesome to see that we could give back and have a positive outcome," Ivey said. 

Shelly Joseph has her own story aside from Napoleon's rescue. She and fiancé Chris Kerr are getting married on May 18. Shelly’s wedding dress was destroyed along with all the couple’s belongings. Then there’s Napoleon’s emergency vet care at over $5,000. 

There is a GoFundMe to help the couple begin to rebuild. But for now, they say having Napoleon is enough and they are grateful.