by Gemma Handy
They may be more used to extinguishing flames than rescuing canines but big-hearted officers from Johnson’s Point Fire Station came to the aid of a puppy that had fallen into a disused cistern on Thursday night.
The crew were called to the scene on the outskirts of Bolans at around 10pm by local residents concerned that, without help, the female pup would perish.
The six-month-old stray had been stuck for at least 10 hours and, despite repeated attempts, neighbours alerted by its desperate cries had been unable to retrieve it from the well.
Firefighters Roger King, Nigel Carty, Miguel George and Shivorn Browne wasted no time in coming to the Valley Road site to assist.
The dog is believed to have been spooked by passing vehicles on the busy highway and tumbled into the old cistern ensconced in thick bush.
The four crew clambered through the thorny vegetation and King climbed into the concrete hole. The pup’s mother lingered a few metres away watching anxiously.
It quickly became apparent that this would be no easy feat as the dog, unused to human contact, snarled in terror and fought to evade capture.
King donned a protective jacket to avoid getting injured and, after several failed attempts, finally managed to pick up the pup and lift it out to cheers from watching residents.
The dog immediately ran to the safety of a nearby building site where it has been living with its mother.
“Roger King and the rest of the crew are true heroes,” one resident present at the scene said. “When we called the Fire Service we had no idea if anyone would be able to assist or not but it was getting dark, we knew the dog would be getting dehydrated and we figured it was worth a shot.
“We are incredibly grateful to the officers for helping out. They are a shining testament to the Antigua and Barbuda Fire Brigade.”
She added, “Both the puppy and its mother are fed by people in the community. We are trying very hard to get them to trust humans enough so that we can catch them, get them spayed and hopefully find them a home.”
Fire Department spokesman Inspector Lester Bagot told Observer, “We are always happy to assist the public in these types of endeavours. It is our pleasure to bring a smile to members of the public when we can perform rescues like this.”