Milo, a six-year-old Sheltie, was alone at home on September 9 while his family ran errands and his owner was out of the country. A delivery driver passing the Pasadena house noticed smoke, heard barking inside, and called 911. (iHeartDogs has the full story.)
Crews from Pasadena, Arcadia, and Sierra Madre responded. Ring footage captured Arcadia firefighters breaking a front window. Sierra Madre firefighter Jessica Johnson, in her second year on the job, was working her first active house fire. Smoke was so thick she could barely see, and Milo had gone quiet. She entered three times with a thermal imaging camera before finding him in the living room, under a table near the front window.
Johnson carried him out limp and unconscious from smoke inhalation. Firefighters put an animal oxygen mask over his face and worked on him for about five minutes with no response. Then Milo rolled over. His fur was caked in soot, but he was breathing, and his veterinarian expected a full recovery.
Days later, the family brought Milo back to meet the crew, wearing custom shirts with his face on them.
What this means for your dog
The delivery driver’s call is the reason Milo is alive, so if you ever see smoke and hear a dog inside a house, call it in. If you are the one calling about your own home, tell the dispatcher there is a pet inside. Many departments now carry pet oxygen masks, and a pet alert sticker on a door or window gives crews one more reason to look. Any dog who has breathed smoke needs a vet check even if they seem fine afterward. Cords, candy, and decorations cause their own share of emergency visits, which we covered in household hazards for dogs.