McKinney Firefighters Receive PETA Award For Rescue Of Dog, Owner
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McKINNEY (CBSDFW.COM) - A Compassionate Fire Department Award is on its way to the McKinney Fire Department, which came to the rescue of a man and his dog, Duke, after the pair became stranded in rising floodwaters early Friday morning last week.
PETA is sending the award after firefighters used the man's cell phone signal to locate him underneath a bridge on Eldorado Parkway, where he was holding onto a tree branch with Duke on his shoulders.
Rescuers set an aerial ladder over the water from the bridge and lowered firefighter Del Ray Pope with ropes to safely retrieve them both. Once back on land, Duke immediately jumped up and "kissed" Pope.
"Thanks to the know-how and bravery of the McKinney Fire Department, both this dog and the man who dearly loves him escaped their life-threatening ordeal and made it safely home," says PETA Senior Director Colleen O'Brien. "PETA hopes their story will inspire others to come to the aid of animals in need."
PETA—whose motto reads, in part, that "animals are not ours to abuse in any way"—is sending the McKinney Fire Department a framed certificate, a box of vegan chocolates, and a copy of The Engine 2 Diet, a Texas firefighter's 28-day plan for staying in prime firefighting shape by eating a plant-based diet.
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