Captain Gregg Gordon and his men were sent to a fire in West Palm Beach, Florida, one evening.
When they arrived, they saw a critically injured guard dog, screaming out in anguish and tied to a tree, a sight that would distress even the most callous of hearts.
One of the team members let him go and immediately brought him to the Jupiter Pet Emergency and Specialty Center (JPESC).
Gordon told The Palm Beach Post that “the little kid was pretty well charred up. He was distressed even after we seized him. I was afraid he wouldn’t make it.”
Dr. Latimer, a veterinarian at JPESC, was on call the night the injured puppy, Smokey, was brought in, and he noticed the worst of the burns on Smokey’s backside.
Thankfully, Dr. Latimer stated that Smokey would be fine, despite the fact that he will require extensive treatment and care before recovering.
“During the few weeks that he was with us at JPESC, Smokey needed multiple blood transfusions, daily baths, and bandage/wrap changes,” JPESC posted on Facebook. He also had treatments in the hyperbaric chamber to aid with swelling and pain from the many burns.
When Smokey first came at the rescue center, he was a frightened and scared puppy. He grew accustomed to the vets and nurses who cared for him over time.
The firefighters who had taken him in would frequently pay him visits, and Captain Gordon even chose to temporarily foster him while he was recovering.
Smokey was overjoyed to have new buddies to play with because Captain Gordon had two other dogs at home.
Smokey was returned to JPESC for a regular check-up a week after Captain Gordon had taken him home. Smokey sprang up and hugged Dr. Latimer the instant he entered into the room.
Smokey seemed to have a particular place in his heart for Dr Latimer, almost as if he realized Dr Latimer had saved his life and wanted to express his gratitude to him.
This was also the time when Dr Katelyn Thomas, another vet at the hospital who had fallen in love with Smokey, decided to permanently adopt him.
She called him Fen, and the couple has been together and happy for many years.
