Officer Saves Cockapoo From Burning Building

During my senior year of high school, I did a police ride-along, writes theanimalrescuesite.greatergood

When I asked my assigned police officers what they liked most about their line of work, they said besides getting to help others, they enjoyed the adventure of the job. No one day was ever the same, and they never knew what they’d be facing from one day to the next.

While on the clock, Sgt. Brian Phair and Patrolman Travis Sodon ended up responding to a call that involved a house fire. The two officers arrived ahead of other emergency services and surveyed the area.

They were initially relieved to find that there were no humans trapped inside, however, their relief quickly turned to concern when they realized that the family pets were trapped inside. One of them, the family’s cockapoo, was even stuck on the second floor’s balcony.

Knowing they couldn’t wait for emergency searches to arrive to rescue the animals, Sodon decided to rescue the trapped canine himself. Even without the proper equipment, he still managed to make his way up the side of the home in order to reach the terrified pooch.

The incredible rescue was filmed by Sodon’s body cam, and it revealed how he moved some scaffolding into place in order to get up to the trapped animal. The footage was released by the Atlantic Highlands Police Department in order to show the rescue.

Sadly, the scaffolding wasn’t tall enough to reach, but that wasn’t going to stop him. Down below, there was a former fire chief watching the rescue mission, and he helped Sodon by handing him a chair to stack on the scaffolding – and it worked! The officer was able to get the dog and get him down.

The rescue is all that more impressive when the police department reveals that the balcony was 15 feet off the ground, meaning that in order to reach the dog, Sodon had to be very precise in his movements as he balanced on the chair to grab him. Major props to him for a job well done!

When the footage was shared online, Chief Rossbach posted on their Facebook page, “I am happy to share the body-worn camera footage from this rescue, as it is a fine example of the extraordinary work that our first responders do on a day in and day out basis.”

Thanks to his actions, the dog was saved and Sodon will be recognized for his salience with a “meritorious service award” sometime soon.

Watch the amazing rescue in the video below:

Source: theanimalrescuesite.greatergood.com