Beyond the call of duty

Firemen had been on the scene for more than 20 minutes when they realized that the canines were likely still in the house. There was little hope, Fire Chief Don Seymore surmised, that any of them had survived the thick smoke that still poured from the structure. Photo by Noreen Hyslop

DEXTER -- Sometimes out of tragedy there comes a bit of triumph. That was the case at a Friday morning house fire at First and Stoddard Streets on the east end of Dexter.

Dexter firefighters were summoned to the scene about 9:40 a.m. after a passerby called 911, indicating that flames could be seen coming through the roof at the front of the home. Within moments, firemen arrived on the scene to find the house fully engulfed with flames shooting into overhead trees. Firemen went to work doing what they do best, and in seconds, it seemed, the flames subsided and heavy grey smoke billowed from every possible opening of the house.

Firemen continued to arrive on the scene, pulling on their gear -- including breathing apparatus -- as they approached the burning house. Within several minutes, it was established the owner of the home, Scott Jarrell, resided in a home just behind the burning residence, but no one lived in the home that was on fire. It wasn't until Jarrell arrived several minutes into fighting the blaze, that it was realized there actually were residents in the inferno after all -- a mother dog named Benji and her five pups.

Firemen with breathing apparatus in place entered the home and one by one exited empty handed. But then a firefighter stepped out from the smoke cupping a small spotted object -- a puppy perhaps six weeks old -- with eyes open and looking not too much worse for the wear.

In a moment, Seymore was handed two more puppies, alive as well and covered with soot and spray from the firemen's hoses.

Another firefighter soon emerged with the last pair of pups, and a moment later the mother was also rescued.

But there was a Beagle dog, too, the homeowner said, and Seymore assured him it had been seen racing from the home when they arrived. It was later found in good condition.

Standing by at the scene of the fire, as is always the case with a house fire, was an ambulance crew and Stoddard County Ambulance District Manager Dave Cooper. The pups and their mother were placed in the hands of Cooper and Paramedic Joe Shuffler.

While Shuffler retrieved oxygen masks from the ambulance, Cooper went to work drying off and warming the pups, and then the two worked together administering oxygen to all five puppies and their mother. While Cooper held the pups wrapped in clean white bedding, Shuffler secured the tiny breathing apparatus over the dogs' muzzles. It wasn't long before the little ones perked up and began to maneuver around on their own, each finding comfort as they snuggled up against their mother. Benji and her brood were eventually turned back over to Jarrell, who explained later that the dog and her pups had been dropped off near his home about a month ago when the little ones were just days old. He placed them in the abandoned house in the front room, named the mother Benji and fed her daily.

Tragically, the home was a total loss, but for Benji and her family, it was a day of good fortune.