After a fire broke out at a doggy daycare, all of the animals survived — thanks not only to the firefighters, but also to neighbors who rushed over to help. On February 1, at 11 a.m., a fire broke out at The Dog Resort dog daycare facility in Seattle’s Lake City neighborhood. Over 100 dogs were trapped inside, their lives in jeopardy. When word of the fire spread to neighboring businesses, people rushed to assist. “I thought, ‘I can sit here and watch, or I can go over and see if I can be of assistance,'” Kenny Robinson, who works in the next-door office, told the Washington Post. “I had a feeling there was fire on the other side of that wall, next to the dog run.”
Robinson added that he wanted to help the dogs for a personal reason: he lost his own dog to cancer last year: “There was no way I could save Cody, but maybe I could help these dogs.” He and his neighbors joined the daycare workers in a last-ditch effort to get the dogs out in time. “We literally had to grab them all and drag them out the door. “I’m not going to say throw them, but we had to get them out quickly,” Isaac Walker, a Dog Resort employee, told KIRO. “There was no time to waste. It was terrifying, to say the least, but we got them all out.”
It took a lot of work, but all 115 dogs were eventually saved from the fire. “It was really chaotic and traumatic — firefighters arrived, and some of the dogs were struggling from the smoke and required oxygen,” Robinson explained. “Another dog ran away from me, and I had to track him down. However, we got them all out.” According to a Seattle Fire Department release, the fire was determined to be accidental after an investigation, and was caused by a dryer in the back of the building.
The Dog Resort suffered $300,000 in property damage as a result of the fire, and a GoFundMe page has been set up to assist them in rebuilding. They are grateful, however, that everyone survived thanks to this inspiring team effort. “With the assistance of first responders and our wonderful community, we were able to complete a full evacuation safely and without loss,” according to the GoFundMe page. “People really stepped up — this was a community effort to save these dogs,” Seattle Fire Department spokesperson David Cuerpo told the Washington Post. “It’s incredible how quickly everyone acted.”
The fire cost The Dog Resort $300,000 in property damage, and we’re so glad all 115 dogs survived safely! What a heartwarming rescue effort — it just goes to show what amazing things can happen when communities band together. Please spread the word about this encouraging news!