Police, Firefighters Nab PETA Awards for Saving Choking Puppy

Rescuers Sprang Into Action to Clear Dog’s Airway, Provide Oxygen

For Immediate Release:
March 8, 2018

Contact:
Megan Wiltsie 202-483-7382

A Compassionate Police Department Award and a Compassionate Fire Department Award are on their way from PETA to the North Reading Police Department and the North Reading Fire Department, respectively, after rescuers came together on Sunday to save a puppy named Bodhi.

Dramatic surveillance video shows Bodhi’s guardian running into the police station seeking help for the 9-week-old puppy, who had become limp and unresponsive after choking on food. Firefighters helped police officers administer chest compressions and back blows to dislodge the food stuck in his airway and used a special mask designed for animals to provide him with oxygen.

“These police officers and firefighters had the equipment, the training, and the compassion that it took to save this puppy from choking to death,” says PETA Vice President Colleen O’Brien. “PETA hopes this story will inspire others to act quickly when animals are in danger.”

PETA—whose motto reads, in part, that “animals are not ours to abuse in any way”—will send the North Reading Police Department and the North Reading Fire Department each a framed certificate and a box of delicious vegan cookies. The fire department will also receive a copy of The Engine 2 Diet—a Texas firefighter’s 28-day plan for staying in prime firefighting shape by eating vegan meals.

For more information about helping animals, please visit PETA.org.