Firefighters were alerted to a brush fire near a homeless camp in March 2017 in West Palm Beach, Florida.
Arriving on time were Captain Gregg Gordon and his crew. The guard dog was badly burned and fastened to a tree when they arrived, which was a horrible sight. It was painful for the poor dog.
Gordon told The Palm Beach Post that the young child “was fairly substantially burned up.” “I was worried about his survival,” he said, “even when we took him.”
Dr. Latimer, the veterinarian, rushed the puppy into care. The dog’s back body and hind legs had the worst burns, he discovered. The dog would need extensive therapy and care, but Dr. Latimer assured the firefighters that everything would be fine.
Smokey underwent numerous blood transfusions (THANK YOU, “Shadow”), routine bathing, and bandage/wrap replacements while he was a patient at JPESC. In order to help with the swelling and pain from the numerous burns, JPESC also got hyperbaric chamber treatments, according to his Facebook page.
Smokey arrived at JPESC first uneasy and terrified of everyone. The dog eventually began to feel more at ease around the doctors and nurses, though. When the rescuers came back to see him, Captain Gordon made the decision to foster the dog while he recovered from his wounds.
Smokey met his two dogs after being taken home by Captain Gordon. The pup was thrilled to have new playmates!
Smokey was taken to JPESC for a checkup a week after Captain Gordon brought him home. Smokey sprung to his feet and gave Dr. Latimer an embrace as soon as he entered the room! He wanted to convey his gratitude to Dr. Latimer because it was obvious that he had saved the dog’s life.
Welcome back, Smokey! As you can see, he is very appreciative of all the love, attention, and time he received while he was with us.” A YouTube video was posted by JPESC.
Dr. Latimer, an old friend, was someone Fen never forgot. The Peggy Adams Walk for Animals’ mascot in 2018 was named Fen. Fen raced over to Dr. Latimer, who was also there, and jumped into his arms as soon as he saw him!
Fen’s life wasn’t easy to begin with, but he has since healed from his wounds and is now living happily ever after! Fen and Dr. Latimer’s touching reunion can be seen in the video down below.