Douglas County Deputy Saves Dog from Burning Car [WATCH]
Deputies with the Douglas County Sheriff's Office responded to a frightening scene recently, when they were called to help rescue a dog that was stuck inside of a burning vehicle.
Deputies were initially dispatched to a vehicle fire in a residential neighborhood around 4:30 p.m. on January 22.
When Deputy Michael Gregorek first arrived on the scene, he witnessed a man throwing something at the back of the burning vehicle. The deputy quickly learned that the man owned both the vehicle and a dog that was inside.
Deputy Gregorek used his retractable baton to smash the back window of the vehicle. Once he did that, the owner began calling for his dog, Hank, who was in obvious distress. Hank's owner attempted to pull him out but was unable to grab him, so Deputy Gregorek stepped in, and successfully hoisted the canine out of the shattered trunk window.
A neighbor watching the dangerous indecent unfold brought the deputy some water. Ironically, the neighbor's wife is a veterinarian, so he suggested that Hank should wait in their backyard until she arrived home to check him out. By the time the vet got to the house, Hank was already back to his normal self, doing full sprints across the yard.
It's unclear how the vehicle caught on fire in the first place, but it's so fortunate that no humans or pets were injured during the terrifying scenario.
Douglas County Sheriff's Deputy Jason Blanchard gave Deputy Gregorek a much-deserved shoutout following the rescue, calling him a true hero in the community.