A car engulfed in flames. A terrified dog cowering at the end of its tether. And Atlanta police officers leaping into harm’s way to save the animal.
These were the scenes in video footage released Thursday by the Atlanta Police Department showing their response to a recent car fire in northwest Atlanta. In the body camera video, a dog is attached to a metal wire tether and trapped near a flaming car.
As the fire roared, burning so intensely that it let off pops and squeals that sounded like fireworks, officers met the dog in a backyard where it had retreated as far from the flames as it could.
The video shows at least three officers gathering around the dog, shielding it from the heat as they worked to free it. Realizing that they wouldn’t be able to cut the metal lead, the officers instead cut off the dog’s collar. Once the dog is freed, all can be seen sprinting away from the flaming car.
Away from the heat, one of the officers was able to coax the dog to his side. The officer can be seen petting the dog and saying, “I wasn’t going to let you go down like that!” Pops and bangs from the car fire can still be heard in the distance.
During the nearly four-minute-long video, the dog never barked or showed aggression toward the officers.
“We would also like to mention that we are proud of the dog, who maintained his composure and showed bravery throughout this ordeal allowing the officers to free him,” police said. “We give him a 12/10. He’s a good boy.”
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