Emergency Crews Save Pair Of Pets From Apartment Fire

ARLINGTON (CBSDFW.COM) - It's hard to contain Tank the dog a day after his near death experience. The Boxer jumped and tugged at his leash occasionally coughing as an after effect of smoke inhalation. But he is alive after he and two cats were trapped in an apartment that caught fire.

"And I kind of ran up there and I said, 'There's a dog in there!'," said Corrina Jenkins, who's a close friend of Tank's owners.

Firefighter Ben Ogletree had just helped put out the kitchen fire when heard a dog and two cats were in the smoke filled apartment.

"I think two cats were found," he recalled. "One of them didn't make it. The other one we rescued."

Paintbrush the cat was rushed outside. Ogletree found Tank.

"He was laying there, really out of it," Ogletree said.  "We are in rescue mode now. You think about picking the dog up you would normally be apprehensive. But this dog was really out of it. He didn't care that I picked him up. So, I got my arms underneath and carried him out."

"Oh my gosh!" Jenkins exclaimed. "He came out and it was like OK there's Tank! He's going to make it! You know, his tongue was hanging out."

Both animals received immediate care, Paintbrush was even administered an IV.

"Those firefighters were amazing!" Jenkins gushed. "As soon as Tank came out and Paintbrush they had him on oxygen."

Both were revived within an hour.

"We were just really happy," Genkins. "I was tearful and thankful and just a whole bunch of emotions all around."

Both surviving pets checked out ok with the vet. But now the pet owners, Matthew Crouse and Kelly Beck, are searching for a new place to live and are worried about having to cover medical expenses. They set up a GoFundMe to help with emergency expenses.

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