Police Race The Clock As Fire Encroaches On Animal Shelter

Police officers made a daring rescue of 60 dogs and cats from a California animal shelter as wildfires quickly approached. The officers’ body cameras provide us with a first-hand look at how these compassionate and quick acting cops made it happen.

The animals housed at the Solano SPCA were in danger of being directly in the path of the Nelson fire that destroyed over 2,000 acres in the northern part of the state. These animals who were already homeless now faced being trapped in a building that could go up in flames or fill with smoke. They were in desperate need of heroes just as these men and women with badges showed up to help.

Some animals were recovering from surgery and wearing cones. It must have been terrifying for these little fellows to be rushed out in such a quick fashion. It’s scary enough for a dog to be in a shelter, let alone being neutered and then getting hauled away as chaos exploded around you!

The animals were placed in foster care until the fire could be controlled. At least they had a break from life at the shelter and hopefully got more love and attention than they were used to on a day-to-day basis.

The Vacaville Police Department shared video of the rescue on Facebook, which you can see below. Officers and other volunteers raced to leash the dogs and get them out as smoke encroached on them. It was a race against the clock! These officers hustled to make this happen. What a reward to see that dog sitting in the cop car with his tail wagging as the officer jumped in to join him!

Thankfully, the SPCA was spared from the fire. The building was cleaned of ash and other debris to make it safe again. The pets were returned to the shelter on Sunday where families will hopefully come and adopt them soon. Hopefully, the publicity from the rescue will encourage people to open up their hearts and homes to these pets.