SAN JOAQUIN COUNTY, Calif. — Firefighters are known to rescue cats stuck in trees, but what about German Shepherds?
Last week, firefighters in California were called to do exactly that.
It’s the type of 911 call dog owner Sharon Thurston says she never expected to make.
“I was so scared like that dog is my baby like she’s everything to me,” Thurston said.
The incident occurred after Thurston says she took her two-year-old German Shepherd “Baby” off her leash for a few minutes.
When she ran off moments later Thurston heard Baby barking and realized her pooch had gotten into a precarious position.
“And I looked up and was like oh my gosh, she’s going to fall, Thurston said.
Turns out Baby booked it up a branch in pursuit of a cat. The German Shepherd was about 25 feet in the air and couldn’t get down.
“So I called all my neighbors and was like guys, help me, you know. And somebody suggested I call the fire department,” she said.
Firefighters couldn’t believe it.
“It’s not your typical everyday call,” Marty Ortiz said.
When Oritz arrived, he said he could see a full-grown German Shepherd perched upon a large tree and the cat at the end of the limb.
He immediately took action.
“We were able to get the ladder up there and I made my way up and I was able to grab the dog’s leash right away which was actually tangled up on a limb,” Ortiz said.
As soon as he removed Baby from the branch, the cat got down by himself, Thurston said.
“It’s still running around here antagonizing her every day,” Thurston said.
As for Baby, Thurston said: “She’s fantastic now. She’s back to herself.”
“Glad to hear that all turned out well for this pooch, and we are all pretty sure he’ll think twice about chasing cats up the next tree,” officials with the fire district said