A retired K9 doesn’t stop being a hero just because he’s off duty.
Maxx, a German Shepherd who once served with the Seminole County Sheriff’s Office, proved that on a terrifying Monday night in Longwood, Florida, when he helped lead firefighters straight to two trapped children inside their burning home.
The fire broke out in the family’s house, and neighbors who heard an explosion quickly called 911, rushing over to help however they could.
They managed to pull the children’s mother, Investigator Margo Feaser, out through a window to safety. But the moment she was free, her instincts took over.
“Her primary concern was to get back in there and to rescue her children,” Chief Deputy Dennis Lemma told WFTV9 News. “She’s an absolute trooper.
She’s a hero within our organization.” Feaser had to be physically restrained from running back into the flames herself.
As firefighters pushed through thick smoke to search for the family’s 4 year old son and 2 year old daughter, it was Maxx who guided them to each child’s exact location.
According to a GoFundMe page set up for the family, “Maxx, the family dog, is credited with assisting firefighters through the heavy smoke to the location of each of the two children.”
Firefighters ultimately rescued both children and Feaser’s husband from the home. All four family members were hospitalized, with conditions ranging from serious to critical. Maxx himself was treated for smoke inhalation and is reportedly doing well.
Feaser, a 12 year veteran of the Sheriff’s Office who also served three years in the U.S. Army and remains part of the Army National Guard, along with her husband, a fellow military veteran, now faces an uncertain road ahead.
Their home was completely destroyed in the fire, and the family cannot return to it. The GoFundMe page has been set up to help cover medical, veterinary, and housing costs as they begin to rebuild.
A former police dog spent years protecting his community. On one of the worst nights of his family’s life, he protected the people who mattered most to him.
Do you believe retired service animals deserve extra recognition for moments like this?
Source:
wate – “German shepherd helps rescue children from burning home”