Firefighters Nab PETA Award for Horse Rescue

Rescuers Break Through Frozen-Over Swimming Pool to Free Stranded Animal

For Immediate Release:
February 16, 2017

Contact:
Megan Wiltsie 202-483-7382

A Compassionate Fire Department Award is on its way from PETA to the Eagle Fire Department, which came to the rescue of a horse named Lucky, who had escaped his enclosure, wandered down the street, and fallen into a frozen-over backyard swimming pool in the 3800 block of Holl Drive on Saturday evening.

After neighbors discovered Lucky, firefighters arrived at the scene and used chainsaws to cut a pathway through the ice. After guiding him out of the pool, rescuers used blankets and straw to warm him up, and Officer Jeff Winegar of the City of Eagle Police Department, who has experience taking care of horses, examined him as they waited for the veterinarian. After the veterinarian gave Lucky a clean bill of health, he was escorted to his home stable, about a quarter of a mile away.

“Thanks to the Eagle Fire Department’s kindness and determination, this horse escaped this unusual, dangerous predicament,” says PETA Vice President Colleen O’Brien. “PETA is recognizing these firefighters for not hesitating to help humans or animals in need.”

PETA—whose motto reads, in part, that “animals are not ours to abuse in any way”—reminds all homeowners to make sure their yards are secure. Sturdy fencing and covered manholes, pipes, pools, and smokestacks will help protect local wildlife, neighbors’ companion animals—and even wandering horses.

The Eagle Fire Department will receive a framed certificate, a letter of congratulations, and a copy of The Engine 2 Diet, a Texas firefighter’s 28-day plan for staying in prime firefighting shape by eating plant-based meals.

For more information, please visit PETA.org.