Pitbull rescued from fire is fostered by the firefighter who saved him

An adorable puppy was rescued by firefighters in Sacramento - and in a heartwarming development, he is being fostered by those who saved him.

After spotting the pit bull pup when responding to a nearby debris fire, it looked like the doggo had been through it, having sustained some injuries from the blaze.

“He had a lot more plastic, burned plastic, on top of his fur area on top of his back [and on] top of his head,” firefighter Mike Thawley told CBS Sacramento. “He has a little down below burned on the hind leg.”

The captain on the scene then called Thawley at Station 19 to ask if would want to take care of the pup.

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“He said, ‘Do you want him?’ And I said yes,” Thawley said, who is now looking after him until Front Street Animal Shelter is able to find him his forever home.

But right now, the dog has already made himself right at home in Thawley's place.

“He perked up pretty good when we gave him water, a bath, some food,” Thawley said. “[We] started picking off some of the plastic and then yesterday [his] personality started coming out: Tail wagging, following us around, chewing.”

Members of the public have also fallen in love with the rescue dog after the Sacramento Fire Department posted updates on their Facebook page about the rescue.

In the post, they wrote: "While responding to a fire underneath eastbound I-80 just west of Norwood Avenue, Sacramento firefighters found a small puppy.

"The puppy didn't have a name tag. So, animal control will be taking the puppy to Front Street Animal Shelter - City of Sacramento.

"In the meantime, we need your help to try to figure out a name for this puppy."

The post included images taken just minutes after firefighters saved the dog, with him wrapped up in a blanket.

There were plenty of comments from people praising the fire department's efforts.

One person wrote: "I think this is the luckiest dog ever, thank you guys for saving him!!"

"Thank you for saving this little pup," another person said.

Someone else added: "Oh my goodness, he’s adorable! Thank you for making sure he’s safe."

"How about making him a fire dog and keeping him as the station 19 mascot?" another person suggested.

Thawley has experience with fostering rescue dogs since he took in and later adopted an abandoned pit bull called "Chunk" five years ago after the dog was found chained to a fence and has been keeping people updated by posting her life on social media.

Now the firefighter hopes that this particular case shows how people can help rescue animals - and by the looks of comments on social media, there are plenty of people offering to give the pup a permanent home.

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