When a huge fire broke out at The Dog Resort, a doggy daycare facility in Seattle, this month, staff members didn’t think they’d be able to get all the dogs out in time.
A dryer had caught flame, and thick gray smoke poured through the building. It was hard to see inside, let alone breathe. The fire department was on its way, but there was no telling when they would get there. The staff felt they’d be lucky to save just a few animals: With 115 canine clients and just a few employees, there was no way to ferry all the dogs to safety by themselves.
But just as they were stumbling out of the building with the first of the dogs, they realized that a handful of other people — mostly employees from neighboring businesses — were running in.
Mechanics, brewers and office workers alike all rushed to help. Some darted into the burning building to free trapped animals. Others cut open a fence so that facility staff could hand dogs out into the open.
“I thought, ‘I can sit here and watch, or I can go over and see if I can be of help,’” said Kenny Robinson, one of the heroes, in an interview with The Washington Post.
Ultimately, all 115 dogs were ferried to safety without injury, though firefighters did have to administer oxygen to four of them. (All recovered.) Local businesses continued to help out for the next few hours. The brewery and mechanic shop both opened their doors to about 30 dogs each, giving the pups a lot of love and a safe place to wait for their owners to arrive. The dogs whose owners were outside of Seattle for the weekend were temporarily housed in nearby shelters.
Reports don’t say whether or not the brewery had to close down normal operations while all this was happening. We sort of hope they didn’t. After all, nothing makes an afternoon of beer-drinking better than a room full of happy pups.
The Dog Resort is currently fundraising to rebuild its facility. If you’d like to donate, you can access their GoFundMe campaign here.
