The firefighter saved the dog's life twice—once from the burning apartment and once from having his life euthanized by his owner.
A 16-month-old dog was nearly put down by his owner. But the firefighter, who saved the animal from a burning apartment, decided to give the furry friend another shot at a happy life.
In the month of September, the dog named George was caught in an apartment fire, located in a building in Iowa. One of the firefighters at the scene was Malcolm Cortner, who joined other first responders in quelling the fire inside the burning building, according to PEOPLE.
Inside the apartment, Malcolm and other firefighters located the large mastiff and pulled him out of danger. They brought him out to safe ground just in time and administered oxygen to the pup.
“Des Moines Firefighters responded to an apartment fire in late September. As the fire was extinguished, firefighters located and rescued a large 16-month dog and began administering oxygen to him,” wrote the City of Des Moines Facebook page in a post about the incident.
Soon after the puppy was rushed out to safety, he was checked by Animal Control, who then determined that young George did not have many options left. Either the dog needed to be given expensive medical treatment, or the pup had to be euthanized.
Since footing the medical bills would be an expensive affair, the owner decided to choose the second option and let George be put down.
“The owner opted for the latter one,” the Facebook post said.
After pulling out the dog to safety, firefighter Malcolm did not just stand by and watch the dog be put to rest. He decided to take care of the expenses for George's treatment and give the pup a family.
Without any hesitation, the firefighter was able to save George's life twice—once from the burning apartment and once from having his life euthanized by his owner.
The firefighter “asked to sign for possession of the Mastiff for further treatment at his own expense,” continued the social media post. “He was granted his request” and “arranged for treatment.”
“Congratulations to Fire Fighter Cortner who has a new best friend, George,” the post added.
The heartwarming incident was shared on Facebook, and many praised the firefighter and wished the two new best friends many years of happiness together.
“Fire fighter Cortland is a hero in more ways than one,” wrote one commenter. “Taking in a pet is always like adopting a new member of the family, but bringing in a Mastiff is like bringing home a child in an adult body! I hope they have a long lifetime together.”
Another comment said, “So glad this gorgeous dog was saved and rescued, huge thanks to Fire Fighter Cortner for taking on that responsibility and giving George a second chance at life!”
“Thank you Malcom Cortner for rescuing this handsome boy,” another said, “he will become the joy and light in your world, because their is nothing like the love of a Mastiff. I don't know why, it's just different.”
Cover image source: City of Des Moines/Facebook
