Tehachapi, California — When it comes to Dog vs. Fire, the dog wins!
Remember this short story from last year’s Borel Fire?
If exhausted Kern County firefighters needed a morale boost, they got one on July 26: a grateful, abandoned dog, injured by the flames, who showed up just as the men were replenishing their depleted stamina reserves and preparing to leave. They named the pooch Walker, after Walker Basin, where the first introductions were made.
Engine 318 from Stallion Springs discovered the dog with severe burns on all four paws. The three-year-old Shepherd-cattle dog mix was treated at the Tehachapi Veterinary Hospital. Stormy Fralick, a staff technician at the vet hospital, looked after him.
Kern County Animal Services searched for the dog’s owner, who they suspected had lost their home in the fire or had evacuated. They posted “found dog” notices all over social media, gave it some time, and eventually let Fralick adopt him.
His new name is Reggie, and photographs show that he is happy, healthy, and enjoying his two adoptive siblings.
All is well that ends well.
