A search and rescue team member is being praised for saving a Rottweiler and her litter of puppies from the Park Fire in Northern California.
When a resident’s truck broke down in a remote area above Cohasset on Wednesday, the individual was forced to leave the vehicle — along with two adult dogs and a litter of puppies — the Butte County Sheriff’s Office (BCSO) explained in a social media post on Sunday.
A family of dogs was “presumed lost” after the raging Park Fire quickly cut off access to where they were stuck in California. Four days later, one search and rescue official took a helicopter and ran 1.5 miles to save them. https://t.co/3wjZ7DNDRD
— CBS News (@CBSNews) July 29, 2024
Although the individual told responders where the vehicle was, the fire made the area not immediately accessible. When BCSO Search and Rescue member Trevor Skaggs heard about the situation, he knew what needed to be done.
Skaggs flew to the area in one of the agency’s helicopters and ran 1.5 miles until he found the puppies and their mother alive. The dogs were extremely tired and thirsty.
“Unfortunately, the puppies’ father was found to have not survived,” the sheriff’s office noted:
After giving the mother and her puppies water and bites from his protein bar, Trevor was able to get the five of them to follow him 1.5 miles back to the helicopter. The puppies and their mother were then flown to the Chico Airport and are now being cared for by members of the North Valley Animal Disaster Group.It’s been a horrific few days for our community and we are grateful to be able to share this amazing story.
A video shows the dogs following Skaggs as he guides them to safety, and photos show the smiling rescuer holding the puppies in his arms.
“Thank you Mr. Skaggs, what you did for those innocent dogs was amazing. God bless you and those involved in the rescue,” one social media user wrote in reply to the law enforcement agency’s post:
“You sir are a brave hero!!” another person commented.
According to the American Kennel Club’s website, Rottweilers are known as loyal, loving, and confident guardians.
The Park Fire is being called one of the biggest in California history. More video footage shows the flames ravaging the area as people are evacuated, taking their pets with them:
One woman and her husband fled their home north of Chico but did not leave their seven dogs behind. “Whatever we had can be replaced, but I wouldn’t have left the animals,” she told ABC 7.
