AURORA — A courageous pup in Illinois is going viral on social media thanks to his quick thinking … which may have at first confused the officers attempting to save him from a house fire.
When we first see Oakley, it’s inside a haze of smoke that was caught on bodycam footage after Aurora firefighters and police arrived to investigate a reported house fire on Sept. 11. There, investigators Michael Ely and Jacob Leonard came face to face with the family dog, the only one in the home, WGN reported.
But Oakley, an American Staffordshire terrier, wasn’t going anywhere without one thing.
His leash.
Ely took down the gate that kept Oakley in the living room, but when the investigator reached for him, Oakley evaded his touch and ran right into the smoky area, where his leash was hanging near a back door.
Ely put the leash on Oakley, who waited patiently, and then the two left the house with Ely saying “good boy” to the 4-year-old pup, who trotted happily out the front door.
“I’m proud of the way our officers handled this situation,” Aurora Police Chief Matt Thomas said, according to WGN. “Their quick response made a real difference, and it’s always rewarding when we can return a family member, even a four-legged one, safely to their loved ones.”
Investigators said the fire started in the attic, CBS News Chicago reported.
Oakley’s story quickly went viral on Instagram and TikTok and even reached the popular page “WeRateDogs,” an account that is “your only source for professional dog ratings” with 4.8 million followers on Instagram.
Aurora is about a 40-mile drive southwest from Chicago.
By TJ MACIAS/Fort Worth Star-Telegram
TJ Macías is a Real-Time national sports reporter for McClatchy based out of the Dallas/Fort Worth Metroplex. Formerly, TJ covered the Dallas Mavericks and Texas Rangers beat for numerous media outlets including 24/7 Sports and Mavs Maven (Sports Illustrated). Twitter: @TayloredSiren
