Everyday Heroes In NY

Kudos to the unnamed tow truck driver who stopped to help this dog and owners and a round of applause to all who helped! Here's the story from the Rush-Henrietta Post:

Henrietta, N.Y. —

During whiteout conditions the day after Christmas, the pickup truck in which Melissa Renwick and her cousin were traveling through Rush skidded into the median and flipped over on its top.

Renwick, 24, and her cousin, Derek Weed, were unharmed, but her biggest concern wasn’t all the Christmas presents in the back of the truck. She was more concerned as to what had happened to Tess — her 15-year-old dog who was riding in the back seat.

Renwick lives in Pennsylvania and was on her way to her aunt’s home in Penfield, where she and Tess had been invited to stay during Renwick’s enrollment at Monroe Community College. The crash left Renwick and her cousin hanging upside-down, held in only by their seatbelts.

“We were very lucky that passers-by stopped and helped us get out of the truck,” said Renwick. “We only had a few cuts and scrapes, but Tess was stuck halfway out of the rear window frame. She was actually more calm than I was.”

When Rush firefighter Robert Faugh arrived on the scene, he could see Tess’ rear end sticking out of the window and she appeared to not be breathing.

Firefighter James Bucci arrived just after Faugh, and he reached in to check on Tess. She was still alive but was having a difficult time breathing because she was stuck.

According to Faugh, a tow truck driver who had happened to be driving by pulled over and hooked up his tow cable to the truck’s frame to help lift it up and get Tess out.

“It took about five or six people to get Tess out, and she barely even cried or whimpered,” Renwick said. “When Tess was free, they wrapped her in a blanket to keep her warm, and she was taken to Avon Animal Hospital.”

At the hospital, Dr. Wayne Warriner examined Tess and, to his surprise, she didn’t have any serious injuries.

“It’s actually quite amazing,” said Warriner. “After the description from the firefighters, I thought she would be in far worse condition. Instead, she only had a few minor cuts and after a few hours didn’t even appear to be phased by what she had just gone through.”

Both Warriner and rescuers agreed that Tess’ “above average weight” probably helped save her life by providing a little extra padding to shield her from being crushed.

“Yes, she likes a to eat a doughnut every once in a while,” joked Renwick. “But those doughnuts did help save her life.”

Renwick said she is just happy that everyone, including Tess, is OK.

“I just want to thank everyone who helped us at the accident scene and everyone who helped Tess at the hospital,” she said. “I don’t know what I would have done without her. We have been together since she was a puppy, and I’m just glad that I get to enjoy more time with her.”