Firefighters Nab PETA Award for Rescuing Dog From Canal

Rescuer Climbed Down Into the Water to Retrieve the Exhausted Animal

For Immediate Release:
December 12, 2019

Contact:
Megan Wiltsie 202-483-7382

A Compassionate Fire Department Award is on its way from PETA to the Fresno Fire Department, which sprang into action after a concerned person reported seeing a dog inside the canal near N. First Street and E. McKinley Avenue. Video footage shows firefighter Ryan Sloway climbing down a ladder into the water, securing the dog with a makeshift leash, and carrying him up to safety.

The dog was cold, thin, and tired but otherwise unharmed—and if no one comes forward to claim him, he will be put up for adoption.

“Thanks to a compassionate caller and Fresno’s firefighters, this dog has gone from exhausted and alone to on his way to a happy home,” says PETA Senior Vice President Lisa Lange. “PETA hopes his story will inspire everyone to keep an eye out for animals in need, especially during the chilly winter months.”

PETA reminds all dog guardians to keep their animal companions near them on walks using a leash and a comfortable, secure harness and never to leave them outdoors unattended—and to help reduce the population of homeless animals by always having their dogs spayed or neutered.

The fire department will receive a framed certificate, a box of delicious vegan cookies, and a copy of The Engine 2 Diet—a Texas firefighter’s 28-day plan for staying in prime firefighting shape by eating vegan meals.

PETA—whose motto reads, in part, that “animals are not ours to abuse in any way”—opposes speciesism, which is a human-supremacist worldview. For more information, please visit PETA.org.