Florida

‘Above and beyond the call of duty’: See how Florida firefighters helped a pet owner

A crew from Alachua County Fire Rescue takes care of dog with fleas. Lieutenant Grant Bosier with the dropper of medicine, leads a group of unidentified paramedics in helping the pet, whose owner was hospitalized
A crew from Alachua County Fire Rescue takes care of dog with fleas. Lieutenant Grant Bosier with the dropper of medicine, leads a group of unidentified paramedics in helping the pet, whose owner was hospitalized

To the rescue!

According to a Facebook post from Alachua County Fire Rescue, firefighters responded to a call regarding a patient who lived alone on Monday afternoon.

They determined the man was “in serious condition” and needed to go to the hospital. But the patient refused to be transported because he was worried about his dog as there was no one to watch him. A spokesman for the agency told the Miami Herald that he did not want him to go with animal control, either.

So the crew from station 21 located in the City of Alachua, outside Gainesville, offered to take the dog and keep it until the patient was treated and released.

Slight issue: it was “covered” in fleas. So the guys stopped at a Walgreens to get the pooch some medicine, the post says.

A social media picture shows the pup surrounded by three uniformed men; one, Lieutenant Grant Bosier, applies a dropper of flea treatment to the animal’s coat.

After the dog was cleaned up, Firefighter Trainee Dwayne Hughes reportedly volunteered to keep the pet until his owner came home.

“This crew went above and beyond the call of duty and demonstrated the excellent service we strive to provide for those in Alachua County,” the post concludes. “Strong work, station 21!”

This story was originally published June 29, 2022 at 3:53 PM.

Madeleine Marr
Miami Herald
Celebrity/real time news reporter Madeleine Marr has been with The Miami Herald since 2003. She has covered such features as travel, fashion and food. In 2007, she helped launch the newspaper’s daily People Page, attending red carpet events, awards ceremonies and press junkets; interviewing some of the biggest names in show business; and hosting her own online show. She is originally from New York City.
Get unlimited digital access
#ReadLocal

Try 1 month for $1

CLAIM OFFER