When West Palm Beach Fire Rescue Capt. Gregg Gordon and a group of firefighters made their way to a brush fire in Florida Tuesday, someone walking in the area said there was a dog caught in the thicket.
As they approached the Australian pines and smoke, that’s when they heard the barking. Then they saw him: a small brown and white dog tied to a tree, burns all over his body.
“The little guy was burned up pretty good.” Gordon said. “Even when we grabbed him, he was very distressed. I was concerned whether he would live.”
The dog, a 2-year-old mixed breed, was saved by firefighter Marcos Orozca, who cut the chain and got him away from the blaze, Gordon said. The pup was taken in by Palm Beach County Animal Care and Control and is now recovering at Peggy Adams Animal Rescue west of the city. The dog suffered significant burns on his hind legs and torso, but it is still unclear what treatment the dog will need, according to Rich Anderson, executive director and CEO of Peggy Adams.
Once he’s OK to leave, Gordon said he had his wife will foster the dog until they find him a family. He said the dog was originally named Bologna by his previous owners, but they’ve picked what they believe is a better suited name: Smokey.
Animal Care and Control officials said the dog had been adopted from Peggy Adams by a couple who lost their home soon afterward.
Gordon, who’s worked for West Palm Beach Fire Rescue for 13 years, said the fire was at a known homeless camp. The cause of the fire is unknown at this time, but he said fires are fairly common at these camps. Gordon believes that because the dog was chained up near a campsite, he was more of a guard of the property than a companion.
When he and his wife eventually take Smokey home, they’ll have to make some room so he can fit in with “two labs and a mutt,” he said.
“We’re keeping our fingers crossed that he’s good with other dogs,” Gordon said.
