Rescuer Goes Above and Beyond to Save Rottweiler and 4 Puppies From California’s Park Fire

Northern California's Park Fire is now being considered the sixth biggest wildfire in the state's history and it's leaving devastation in its wake. While most of the stories being reported are sad ones, CBS News shared a heartwarming story about one emergency responder's refusal to give up on a family's pet Rottweilers. The rescue mission didn't happen right away; he had to wait four days to attempt it due to the blaze.

A family fleeing the fire on Wednesday, July 24th had to make the impossible decision to leave their Rottweilers behind as they tried to escape the blaze. They had two adult Rottweilers and a litter of puppies in the truck with them when it broke down. To save their own lives, they had to leave the dogs and the truck behind. They notified officials, but they were unable to help the dogs at that point. But one emergency responder took it upon himself to go back and try to find the dogs once it was deemed safe to do so.

Trevor Skaggs, a member of Butte County Sheriff's Office Search and Rescue team was the incredible hero who was able to save five of the six Rottweilers. Unfortunately, the male dog didn't survive. The mama Rottweiler kept her babies safe for four days in the middle of a wildfire! This is a story filled with both luck and a miracle, and people loved hearing about it. CBS News commenters left many messages thanking Skaggs for rescuing the pooches, but I think @L said it best, "Not all heroes wear capes!"

Related: Rottweiler Puppy’s ‘Extremely Scary Bark’ Is Total Cuteness Overload

More About Trevor Skaggs Rescuing the Rottweilers

Butte County Sheriff shared more about the rescue on Facebook, praising Skaggs for the rescue. He was flown to the area where the dogs were last seen and started looking for the lost family. "Trevor ran 1.5 miles to the location and found the puppies and mother alive, but tired and very thirsty. Unfortunately, the puppies’ father was found to have not survived. After giving the mother and her puppies water and bites from his protein bar, Trevor was able to get the five of them to follow him 1.5 miles back to the helicopter." That he was able to get the mom and four puppies to follow him for a mile and a half is incredible! They must have been exhausted but they wouldn't give up either.

The post also included, "The puppies and their mother were then flown to the Chico Airport and are now being cared for by members of the North Valley Animal Disaster Group." CNN reported in a separate article, "After a veterinary evaluation, they will be transferred to a nearby shelter until they can be reunited with their owner."

I was shocked by the number of commenters on CBS' TikTok who said that these dogs should not be given back to their owners because commenters would have never left their own dogs behind. I completely disagree with them; unless you've been in a situation where you were literally running for your life, you cannot understand the lengths that you would go to survive the situation. The owners were clearly trying to save their pets and had to make a decision that I hope to never have to make.

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