Firefighters in Adams County were called on to solve quite the puppy predicament Monday night.
A 9-week-old blue nose pitbull pup had to be rescued from the inside of a reclining couch. Denver7 spoke with Paulie Johnston, one of the firefighters involved in cracking the canine couch conundrum Tuesday.
As he tells it, the call came in as what’s called a “citizen assist,” a common non-emergency request. Think cats in trees, and the like.
This one, though, was different. Four firefighters from South Adams County Fire Department Engine 26 – Johnston, Matt Wood, Ryan Applegate and Chris Groetzinger – responded to the home where the puppy, named Nina, was stuck inside a sectional sofa.
“All four of us are big dog lovers, a lot of us have more than one,” Johnston said. “We got to the house and the family was a little upset, and rightfully so.
“So we got there and [my fellow firefighters] grabbed their tools and Matt and I got behind the couch. I just comforted the little puppy, told her she was a good girl, gave her some scratches and [Matt] pretty much took apart the couch.”
Nina had apparently climbed underneath the couch from behind and got stuck inside. To make matters worse, she was being choked by one of the interior bars and was having trouble breathing.
For that reason, taking the couch apart was the only way to get her out.
“Once the puppy was out, thousands of puppy kisses to [Matt].”
Wood, apparently a jack of all trades, even put the couch back together once the rescue was complete.
Johnston tells us the night ended with a happy pup and grateful owners.
“The family was very thankful,” he said. “They just wanted to make sure the puppy was okay. And we said, ‘The puppy is good to go. Just give her lots of love.’”
