Kenny Robinson was at work on Wednesday, February 1st, when a coworker rushed into the office with the news that the doggy daycare next door was on fire. They immediately rushed outside with several others and began taking photos of the smoke that came out of the building, which housed more than 100 dogs and a handful of employees.
Robinson eventually noticed dogs racing back and forth next to the building in the fenced run. He immediately put down his phone. He thought back to his own dog, Cody, who had died of cancer last year. While he couldn’t save him, he figured that he may be able to help those who are stuck in the daycare before emergency services arrived.
The staff at the doggy daycare facility rushed the terrified dogs outside; Robinson and his co-workers then brought to them to their office’s fenced loading area and parking lot. They soon realized, however, that the area wasn’t completely secured. They ended up blocking the bottom of the chain-link fence with a piece of plywood so the smaller pups wouldn’t be able to get out.
Within a few minutes, they had successfully moved over 40 dogs from the burning facility into the fenced-in lot.
Firefighters eventually arrived on the scene and helped some of the dogs that were struggling from the smoke. Four required CPR and oxygen and were transported to a local animal hospital for emergency care. One dog also got away from Robinson but he managed to chase him down.
Other surrounding businesses also helped, including the Hellbent Brewing Company, a Mexican restaurant, and bar, which temporarily housed more than 30 dogs.
While the blaze caused over $300,000 in damage, no one was injured and all 115 dogs were successfully rescued. A few of the pups required medical care but they’ve since made a full recovery and have returned home.
According to firefighters, the fire was accidental and started at the facility’s dryer- likely due to lint build-up.
The owner of the dog care facility, Mona Elassiouti, is deeply grateful for everyone that rushed to help. She’s also launched a GoFundMe as she tries to establish a temporary location in the neighborhood.
