Days after police officers rescued a small, scared dog from a burning home last week, PETA has awarded the South Pasadena Police Department with a "Compassionate Police Department Award."
On Nov. 17 around 1:10 p.m., South Pasadena police officers responded to a house fire in the 1000 block of Garfield Avenue in South Pasadena.
When Corporal Craig Phillips and Officer Brian Wiley arrived, they saw part of a house was on fire and tried to contact residents in the home, South Pasadena police said in a statement. When they received no response from inside, they broke down the door and started searching the house to see if anyone was still inside.
Although they did not find any people, the officers found a small 17-month-old Maltese, named Kolby, hiding in the corner of a room downstairs.
"It was a scared dog, but it was a friendly dog," Wiley said. Kolby was not harmed by the fire.
After the officers took Kolby outside, firefighters took over efforts to put out the fire, and a "huge portion" of the home was saved, Wiley said.
In a statement Tuesday, PETA Senior Vice President Lisa Lange said, "These brave officers made every effort to ensure that no living being was trapped inside this burning house. Local residents are lucky to have such kind emergency responders who don't hesitate to help humans and animals in need."
News
Top news of the day
The South Pasadena Police Department will be awarded with a framed certificate and with "a box of delicious vegan cookies," PETA noted.
