Clearwater firefighters and a dog they rescued shared a sweet reunion after the pup recovered from being injured in a house fire.
The heroic rescue happened on the morning of Nov. 2 when a fire erupted at a home on Barbara Avenue. Crews learned from neighbors that the homeowner wasn’t there, but the dog, named Bandit, was trapped inside.
Firefighters entered the smoke-filled home and found Bandit unresponsive on a bed. They brought him outside and treated him with oxygen before he was transported by police to a emergency veterinarian for further treatment.
Bandit and his owner, Brian Rogers, went to the station on Wednesday morning to meet the crew members involved in the rescue. “You are my heroes, and you are Bandit’s heroes, no doubt about it,” he said to them.
Bandit was clearly excited to be there, as he went up to the first responders, wagging his tail and asking to be pet.
Rogers presented the crew with a picture of his furry friend engraved in a piece of wood with the dog’s name and the date of the rescue as a “thank you.” He also gave each of the firefighters a handheld vacuum for sucking up and killing bugs.
“I’m beyond grateful. You saved my best friend,” he said. “You didn’t just save him, you saved me, too.”
