Firefighters, police officers, and emergency medical technicians are often the first people on the scene to help when we need them. But their concern for the well-being of others doesn’t stop at humans. They also care for the animals that they find at the scene of an incident. In fact, some of them care so much that they adopt the animals they find when no one else is there to rescue them. Here are 10 emergency responders who adopted the dogs they fell in love with on the job and took home friends for life.
1. Firefighter Nick Newcomb And Banjo
(Picture Credit: Farmington Hills Fire Department)Nick Newcomb is a Farmington Hills, Michigan firefighter who was sent to the scene of an unresponsive person. When he got to the home, he found that the woman who lived there alone with her dog had passed away. The woman’s family couldn’t take the pup, so Newcomb took the dog home and surprised his 7-year old daughter. Banjo is loving his new family.
2. Officer Marcus Montgomery And Kylo
It was supposed to be just another routine call when Officer Montgomery showed up to the local Panhandle Animal Welfare Society, but it ended up being so much more. During his investigation, Montgomery was introduced to an adorable puppy and fell in love at first sight. He had to have the pup, who had been left in a box outside of the shelter in below freezing temperatures. So he brought the pup home to meet his other dog, Vader, and gave the new puppy another Star Wars name, Kylo. They’re one big family, now.
3. American Medical Response of Evansville And Siren
Several team members of the American Medical Response team of Evansville, Indiana were driving in an ambulance when a stray puppy stated chasing the vehicle. He didn’t stop until they pulled over, and though they tried to find an owner, no one came forward. One of the team members adopted the puppy and named him Siren. Now he’s a mascot for the station and helps the emergency responders deal with the stress of the job. He’s like their own support dog.
4. Fire Chief John McGuire And Auggie
When Fire Chief John McGuire of the Swansea Fire Department in Illinois arrived on the scene of a burning house with several other firefighters, the blaze was already out of control. They made their way through the house and found a yellow Labrador Retriever named Auggie unconscious. They gave him an oxygen mask and rushed him to a nearby animal hospital, where he was in rough shape and spent weeks recovering. McGuire couldn’t stop thinking of the pup and called the vet, who said his owner surrendered him. McGuire knew he had to have him, so he adopted Auggie as soon as he recovered enough to go home.
5. Officer Jeff O’Rear And A Puppy
When Kansas City police officers Jeff O’Rear and Erik Winters saw a six-month-old puppy that had been locked in a hot car for almost two hours, they knew they had to act fast. They smashed the back window and pulled the four-pound pup from the oven-like vehicle, then rushed him to a local PetSmart for care. By the time they got there, the tiny pooch was convulsing and had a body temperature of 107.7 degrees. Officer O’Rear was so concerned for the pup, he adopted him and brought him home to surprise his daughters. Now the puppy is getting lots of love.
6. Haines City Fire Department And Ember
When members of the Haines City, Florida Fire Department found Ember, she was tied to a tree, abandoned with a muzzle strapped to her mouth and no food or water nearby. They untied her and she jumped into their truck. When she got to the station, she made herself right at home, and the firefighters took it as a sign that she was meant to stay. They adopted her and she keeps them happy on the job. She’s spoiled with all the love she gets from her firefighters.
7. Deputy Dakota Beck And Marty
Deputy Dakota Beck responded to a complaint about dogs running loose near a local property and found 31 dogs on the property in varying stages of neglect. During the investigation and rescue, one of the pups jumped up and gave her a big doggy hug. Beck instantly fell in love with the 11-year-old malnourished Alaskan Malamute and adopted him after he spent some time recovering with an animal rescue group. She named him Marty and took him home forever.
8. Firefighter William Lindler And Jake
Firefighter William Lindler noticed smoke coming out of a house next door, so he put on his gear and ran to the rescue. The family yelled out that their Pit Bull puppy was still inside, so the firefighter helped bring the dog out of the blaze. The pup had burns over 75% of his body, and the family abandoned him at the vet. Lindler adopted the pup and named him Jake. As Jake healed and grew up, Lindler made him an honorary firefighter.
9. Emergency Medic Sandy And Cosmo
The EMS crew from Fork Rescue Squad responded to a bad crash between a tractor-trailer and a car when a driver fell asleep at the wheel. One of the drivers didn’t make it, but his 14-year-old dog, Cosmo, did. The family wanted to put the dog down as he had medical issues, but one of the responding medics decided to take the pup, and the family agreed to allow it. Sandy, one of the medics from the crew, adopted Cosmo and took him home.
10. Officer Joshua Sailor And Mila
When New York City officers found an emaciated 8-month-old Pit Bull in an abandoned building, she was chained up behind a door without any food or water, and almost no room to moved. She had a big chain on her neck, and they could see that she was just skin and bones. But once they freed her, she ran straight past the treats and right to Officer Joshua Sailor. He knew right then that he needed to adopt her. Sailor named the dog Mila, and the two have been best friends ever since.
Are you grateful to these emergency responders who took home dogs in need? Do you know what it’s like to fall in love with a dog at first sight? Let us know in the comments below!
