Innisfil firefighters credited for rescuing puppy
Alcona’s Nela Fernandes wasn’t expecting to call 911 after grabbing some coffee from her kitchen just after noon July 9.
But when her three-month old puppy became trapped under her heavy sofa, she didn’t know what else to do.
“I heard my puppy and she was under the couch,” Fernandes said. “I lifted the end of the couch, thinking she was just under it.”
The chihuahua/Jack Russell mix dog named Bela had crawled behind the couch and was whimpering.
Fernandes said she is normally a cat person, but after losing her job more than a year ago, she decided to get a dog as a companion.
Which is why she was distraught after opening the footrest to see Bela’s head trapped in the metal arm of the mechanism.
“I tried to move her head, but I was scared. I couldn’t get her out. I wanted her to keep breathing,” she said. “She likes to shove her face into everything. When my husband takes off his shoes, she tries to get in there.”
Home alone, Fernandes put one leg of the couch onto her coffee table and called for help.
“I was frantic when I called 911. I know (pets) aren’t human, but they are a part of the family.”
Thankfully, Innisfil Fire and Rescue Service agreed to help.
“We don’t normally do this,” acting fire Capt. Cody Summers said. “Our crew runs into animal calls often, usually about cattle on the road. Or donkeys or miniature horses.”
Summers has a soft spot for pets and brought his team to Fernandes’ home with hydraulic tools in case they needed to cut Bela free.
“We were afraid if we moved the chair, she would get hurt,” Summers said. “I held onto the dog while the two others moved the couch.”
Together, firefighters Blair Vigneux and Paul Klienstiber tilted the couch back and were able to move the foot rest so Bela’s head could be freed.
“We had the tools and cutters to get her out, and that’s what I thought we were here to do,” Summers said. “But we were also trying to save the couch.”