Portland Fire & Rescue - IN THE NEWS

The Oregonian

Lynne Terry

February 22, 2011

All in a day's work: Firefighters rescue puppy stuck in vent in Southeast Portland

Portland, OR --Portland Fire & Rescue crews have scrambled across the city in recent days, putting out an assortment of fires. But that’s not all they’ve been doing. On Monday night, fire crews rushed to the rescue of 10-week-old puppy that got stuck in a heating vent. “This was one of our unusual calls that go along with the territory of serving the public,” said Tommy Schroeder, a firefighter and spokesman for the bureau. He said the owners, who live on Southeast Bush Street, called dispatchers about 10:30 p.m., frantic about their dog. When a fire engine arrived on the scene, crews attempted to coax the puppy, a Lhasa apso-pug mix, out of the vent on the second floor of the home.

No luck. Little Mogley was stuck.

The owners asked firefighters to do whatever they could to get their puppy out. So, crews called a fire truck laden with construction equipment that firefighters used to cut through the ceiling right under the vent. “It turned out there was a small paint can in the duct work and the dog got it’s head stuck in the paint can,” Schroeder said. It’s unclear unclear how Mogley ended up in the vent in the first place — or got his head stuck in a paint can — but the little fluffball came out of the ordeal just fine, Schroeder said. Though a bit dirty, he didn’t even require a trip to the vet.

The owners were thrilled as well, Schroeder said. They didn’t even care about the hole in their ceiling.

   Portland Fire & Rescue 

   We Respond: Always Ready, Always There

   February 23, 2011 

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