A Jefferson Township firefighter and a Fayette County Sheriff’s Office deputy helped save the life of a family pet Friday after receiving a report of a dog in a well.
Devon Jenkins, volunteer firefighter, responded Friday to an incident involving a canine (lab mix) stuck in a 24-foot well near a home on Moon Evans Road. The well had been uncovered by the owner not too long before the incident occurred. The owner said that once arriving home, his dog did not greet him in the usual manner. After locating the animal in the well, he called for help.
Upon arriving and assessing, Jenkins said he knew he was not going to be able to do this on his own. Within moments he called the Fayette County Sheriff’s Office K-9 Unit deputy Jason Havens for assistance.
“We actually got toned out for a dog down in a well,” Jenkins said. “We don’t have a lot of volunteers and I was the only one close. So I got out there first and assessed the situation and realized I wasn’t going to be able to do it by myself, so I called Havens because he was nearby and he came. I got down into the well and there was about 12 feet of water in the well, so I harnessed myself off and made a harness for the dog. Then, Havens pulled up while I pushed up from the bottom and helped it coming up. It felt great to help the dog out. I am a big pet lover and I didn’t think twice about going down in there. When I got the dog out of there the owner told me how appreciative he was and the dog seemed to be appreciative as well.”
Jenkins said the main reason he joined the fire department was to help others. He said he loves it and that the fire department and sheriff’s office are always glad to help each other. He also said that he was glad Havens was nearby to assist.
“Everybody in our fire department was proud of it,” Jeff Warner, assistant fire chief for the Jefferson Township Volunteer Fire Department, said. “During the day we are really shorthanded and we didn’t have many people, but Devon went out and was the first one there. Havens also did a lot on the call as the dog was 70 pounds and needed some help out of there. The dog was 15-years-old as well, and for one of the owners, she has only been alive a little longer than the dog so she was appreciative of their efforts. The dog recovered though and is better.”
