(LEX 18) — A Pulaski County husky is recovering from smoke inhalation in Richmond after a Somerset home caught fire on Tuesday.
Three-year-old Kratos is a husky-mix and recovering from smoke inhalation.
Late Tuesday night, the Somerset Fire Department was called to a house fire on Lair Street off of KY-80. Two people made it out of the home with minimal injuries, but their furry family members, Bear and Kratos, were still inside.
Lieutenant Mat Miller, Firefighter Dan Clark, and Firefighter Hunter Fyre assisted in rescuing the pups.
"We immediately got the dogs out of the building," explains Chief Bengie Howard with the Somerset Fire Department. "A lot of our people is trained on animal CPR on animal rescue breathing. Of course, we carry rescue breathing equipment on the truck for animals as well."
After trying everything, Bear was unable to be saved. Kratos was the only one breathing on his own.
David Caldwell, the Somerset-Pulaski County Rescue Captain, said that, without a second thought, he and another EMT rushed to the only 24-hour animal hospital closest to Somerset: Advanced Animal Care in Richmond.
"We loaded him in the back of my rescue Suburban. Me and another EMT assisted with ventilation, we assisted on O2. Suction device to keep his airways clear and got him up there pretty quick," explains Caldwell.
LEX 18 visited Kratos at the clinic to see how he's doing, and the veterinarians say Kratos's health has undergone a positive 180-degree turn. He's doing so well in fact, he's been attempting to empty their shredded chicken bowl at any given chance.
"Even though it's a dog, it's still part of a family. And they've gone through the roughest time losing their house, and they lost one dog and you want to give that other dog every fighting chance it has," said Caldwell.
Kratos will be reunited with his family in the next couple of days. If you're looking to support Kratos's family as they rebuild, donations are being collected through Advanced Animal Care.
