Kristina Perkerson doesn’t have any children; she has two Pomeranian dogs.
And she is thanking Woodstock Fire Rescue for saving her 6-month-old, Kolt, before he could have drowned Wednesday evening.
Perkerson told The Atlanta Journal-Constitution she recently moved into a new development, where hers is the only occupied house and the storm drains aren’t all covered.
She had just put Kolt and his big sister, 2-year-old Presley, outside about 6:30 p.m., before the rain started.
As Perkerson said goodbye to a friend, Kolt slipped and fell about 6 to 8 feet into the storm drain.
“I heard him say, ‘Kolt, get away from the drain’ and that’s when he fell,” Perkerson said.
After about 20 minutes of struggling, they couldn’t free Kolt and the rain turned quickly from a sprinkle to a downpour, Perkerson said.
“He’s 4 or 5 inches tall and I was afraid the water would start rising,” she said.
She called 911.
As she heard sirens in the distance she couldn’t separate in her mind the sound of rescue trucks and a tornado warning.
“All of a sudden I see the fire trucks and they literally jumped out to help,” Perkerson said.
Woodstock police spokeswoman Brittany Duncan was one of the people ready to help. Though Perkerson worried no one would respond to her 911 call, Duncan said they were happy to help.
“Woodstock firefighters always go above and beyond to ensure the best possible outcome,” Duncan said. “They are really humble heroes.”
The nine-year Woodstock resident said she’s never experienced anything like the rescue before.
“They were so genuine and so kindhearted,” she said. “They were out here in the pouring rain trying to get my puppy. They literally saved my dog’s life.”
Fire Rescue officials posted on Facebook that the mission was a success.
“She was sweet,” Duncan said. “Best possible outcome.”
Storms rolled through Cherokee County shortly after 6:30 p.m. and the area was under a severe thunderstorm watch until 10 p.m.
RELATED: Heavy rain, lightning head for metro Atlanta, thunderstorm watch in effect until 10 p.m.
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