Firefighters rescued a small white dog named Jack from a house fire in Bakersfield, California and revived the animal on camera, in a video that has been shared widely on social media.
Bakersfield firefighter Matt Smith pulled the unconscious Shih Tzu from behind a smoldering sofa in the house. Firefighters rubbed the dog’s chest and used an oxygen mask specially designed for pets to revive Jack.
The firefighters’ good deed paid off as the dog came to on camera, panting heavily but alert.
“I thought Jack was going to die,” department spokesperson John Frando told the Associated Press. “He was in really bad shape.”
The married couple who own Jack were unharmed. Jack suffered some burns to his feet and respiratory tract injuries. He spent the night after the fire receiving “extensive oxygen therapy”, according to a later Facebook post.
Jack was under the care of a veterinarian until Thursday, when he was reunited with his owners and his rescuer, Smith. The Bakersfield fire department’s pet oxygen mask was donated just a year earlier by a local girl scout troop, firefighters told local media.
