Lifestyle

Firefighter Jumps Into Action and Saves Dog With CPR After Rescuing it From a Burning Building

By Margo Gothelf 2 min read

# Andrew Klein
# animals
# Bichon Frize/Shih Tzu

Thanks to a quick thinking firefighter, a dog who was overcome with smoke is alive and doing well.

After receiving a call about a small apartment fire in Santa Monica, Andrew Klein and his team rushed to the scene to put out the flames. After the fire was contained, Klein searched the apartment and found a dog that had been trapped inside.

The dog had inhaled too much smoke and was on the ground without a pulse.

“I discovered him amidst all the smoke and the heat. I grabbed him and as soon as I grabbed him I knew that he was unresponsive just by his dead weight,” Klein said to ABC News.

Immediately after realizing the dog was in trouble, Klein put his training to use and started to perform CPR on the Bichon Frize/Shih Tzu mix named Nalu. As the CPR took place, Nalu was given a pet oxygen mask to help stabilize his breathing.

Yesterday, @santamonicafd responded to an apartment fire, found an unconscious pup inside & FF Klein successfully revived him! #GoodNews pic.twitter.com/7YRJwhFcdy

— City of Santa Monica (@santamonicacity) March 22, 2017

About 20 minutes after the CPR began, the dog regained consciousness.

“It was pretty amazing because I’ve been on a number of animal rescues like this that did not come out the same way that Nalu’s story did,” Klein told California television station KTLA. “It was definitely a win for the whole team and the department that we got him back.”

Nalu’s owner, Crystal Limirand, was out when her apartment went into flames. Even though most of her apartment was damaged, she is extremely thankful that Nalu made it out alive.

Sharing another heartwarming photo from @santamonicafd saving a pooch yesterday. TY FF Klein and crew! pic.twitter.com/RJXu39RKWr

— City of Santa Monica (@santamonicacity) March 22, 2017

“I stood there in shock, and then I followed them and was in shock,” Limirand told KTLA. “I’m a nurse and now I know how family members feel when they watch us do CPR on their family members. It’s awful.”

About a week after the fire, Nalu stopped by the firehouse to see Klein and thank him for his excellent work.

“Our goal is to save people, and sometimes we’re not able to do that despite our best efforts. But to have a success story just like this, even with Nalu being a dog, I mean again he’s a life and he’s a life that matters,” Andrew Klein said to ABC News. “That was just a great morale booster for all of the guys here in our department.”

After the visit, Limirand shared a picture on Facebook thanking the firefighters for their amazing action.

“Back from the dead!!!!” Limirand wrote. “He is so thankful he is alive even though all his clothes are severely smoke damaged!!!! Thank you, thank you, thank you, Love Nalu Marley!!!!! (And his mother Crystal.) We are forever grateful.”