A squad of Missouri firefighters rescued an 8-week-old puppy that was left to die in a burning car in below-freezing temperatures while Winter Storm Fern battered the state on Sunday.
The crew of Cape Girardeau firefighters responded to reports of a burning vehicle near a convenience store Sunday night — just hours after the powerful snowstorm rolled through Missouri.
Once the flames were extinguished, they came across a pint-sized pup cowering in the back seat, according to a Facebook post from the Cape Girardeau Fire Department.
The 8-week-old puppy was worse for wear after somehow surviving both the blistering flames and the freezing chills. They rushed the dog inside of the nearby convenience store and pumped him with oxygen using a specially-designed “Pet Oxygen Mask.”
They laid the limp pup on its side and gently cupped the mask over its snout. The mask was hooked up to an oxygen tank that was double the size of the ailing pooch.
One of the firefighters originally planned to provide the puppy with a “new, warm home,” but later learned he couldn’t take the stray in. On Monday, the puppy, affectionately nicknamed Ember, was surrendered to the Southeast Missouri Pets shelter.
“We are so glad that this dog survived the fire and is miraculously alive and well at this time,” the fire department wrote.
“Thank you to the Cape Fire Department and all of the first responders who went above and beyond to save a puppy! You are all heroes!” SEMO Pets added.
Ember isn’t up for adoption just yet and is still on a strict recovery regiment including treatment for lasting respiratory difficulties and secondary pneumonia, veterinarian Dr. Colleen Retz told KPTV.
As Winter Storm Fern dumped dozens of inches of snow across more than half the country, many shelters issued requests for people to temporarily house their larger dogs so they wouldn’t have to be cooped up in a cold kennel.
More than 1,500 New Yorkers volunteered to become “blizzard buddies” for the Big Apple’s strays last week.
