West Thurston Regional Fire Authority firefighters rescued two unconscious dogs from a house fire on Wednesday.
“They have quick, smart dogs and a pet loving crew that knew exactly what to do,” said Captain Brian Christiansen in a statement. “We are trained to save people and the pets that people love.”
Neighbors reported the fire at about 11:25 a.m. after the homeowners had left for the day.
Fire crews quickly contained the fire to a room, and on a secondary search found an Australian Shepard and a Heeler unconscious in the bathtub.
The two dogs, Zip and Faith, are self-trained to go to the bathroom by themselves. Crews suspect once the fire broke out the two dogs headed for the bathroom, shut the door, and got in the bathtub.
Dash cam footage shows firefighters carry the dogs outside to the front lawn. Crews got pet oxygen masks for the animals and cooled them with water to prepare them to be transported to Scatter Creek Animal Clinic.
Zip and Faith were treated for smoke inhalation at the clinic, and are now breathing on their own. Their owners picked them up from the clinic that day.
“We were all elated, a little shocked, and overwhelmed to witness the reunion,” the fire authority wrote in a Facebook post.
