Charleroi firefighters rescue dog on ledge

By TAYLOR BROWN

tbrown@yourmvi.com

A furry, four-legged citizen in Speers owes his life to the Charleroi Volunteer Fire Department.

Around 6 p.m. Monday, firefighters were called to Lillian Street in Speers for a small dog stuck on a window ledge of an apartment building.

Fire Chief Bob Whiten said a neighbor called 911 after seeing the dog in peril. 

“It was a smaller pup, but it must have been strong, because it pushed the air conditioner in the window to the side and climbed out onto the ledge,” Whiten said. 

The dog sat on the ledge, which was only about 6 inches wide, until it could be rescued. 

“You could tell the dog was getting upset and pretty nervous, but we put a ladder up to the window and had some extra guys on the ground in case it decided to jump so we could catch him,” Whiten said. 

Firefighter Doug Prentice climbed the ladder in turnout gear to retrieve the pup.

In all, the rescue took about five minutes but it could have ended badly, Whiten added.

“No one was hurt, our guys or the pup, and he was given to a neighbor until his owner returned home,” Whiten said. “It could have been bad if he decided to jump because of the hedges below. It was about 20 feet up and the hedges could have jabbed him, or hurt him pretty bad.”

Firefighters repositioned the air conditioner and tightened it before clearing the scene.

The dog’s owner was not home at the time of the incident.