A Heroic Effort by a Firefighter in Henderson to Save Puppies

LAS VEGAS – A firefighter in Henderson forged an unusual friendship with a local dog owner after the latter brought him his sick boxer.

Rhonda Hesse had an older boxer named Smalls before she adopted Minnie.

She was the softest, cuddliest thing,” Hesse said.

After adopting Minnie, Hesse took her to the clinic, where he learned she was expecting six babies. And then Minnie had to go back to the vet again, this time for an unexpected Cesarean section, a few weeks later.

At first, everything went swimmingly, and Minnie seemed to be settling into motherhood at home. Sadly, three of her puppies perished shortly thereafter, and in the days that followed, Minnie began hemorrhaging and required immediate medical attention.

Minnie weighed more than 80 pounds, so Hesse had to contact the fire brigade for assistance because she couldn’t lift her with only her arms.

According to Henderson Fire Department Battalion Chief Jason Law, “We are an all-emergency department and this wasn’t a human emergency but it certainly was an emergency.” When I scooped her up, she flopped into my arms, and I could tell she was really ill.

Minnie didn’t make her to the vet in time, so her puppies no longer have a mother. Hesse explained that after saying his goodbyes, he returned home to find three puppies in need of his care.

Law couldn’t stop thinking about Minnie and Hesse even after he got back to the firehouse.

“I phoned dispatch and said I need that callback number to reach her,” Law remembered. I told her, “Look, I know this is unusual, and I’ve never done this before, but I feel that connection with you. If you need help, my kids can come over to help since we had an experience like this, and we know how to feed pups.”

However, the desire to bring a puppy home immediately developed after being fed. “That little girl has me wrapped around her paw,” Law remarked.

When Minnie’s puppies were old enough, they were adopted by a vet tech and her family from the Law neighborhood.
And though Hesse hadn’t intended to bring a puppy into the world, she felt compelled to have a reminder of Minnie there all the same.

Credits: 8NewsNow