Fire Service praised after rescuing trapped dog in Gateshead

Tyne and Wear Fire and Rescue Service (TWFRS) have been praised for rescuing a dog from a locked car.

Dog owner Dawn Mordey, aged 53 was distraught when she realised her pet, a 2-year-old Romanian rescue dog named Tilly, had become trapped in her car, while she was visiting family in Gateshead

She said: “I fastened Tilly in her car seat as normal like I would at the start of any journey but unfortunately for us, I momentarily placed my keys in the central driving compartment and the door locked shut with our beloved dog still inside.

“I was genuinely panicking as it was a fairly hot day, and with Tilly being a rescue dog she can be at times a bit fearful and timid.”

Tilly was rescued from a Romanian kill shelter in January of this year by Dawn and her husband Phil.

Dawn contacted Northumbria Police for guidance when the incident took place on Tuesday, September 21, and the police directed her towards the TWFRS for assistance.

Firefighters from Blue Watch at Gateshead Community Fire Station were deployed to the scene to assist Dawn and Tilly.

The firefighters placed silver reflecting foil over the windscreen to ensure the dog was kept cool, before managing to get the door open using specialist equipment.

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Dawn said:  At first when I saw the blue lights I felt really bad for calling out the fire service as I know how busy they are dealing with emergencies.

“But I also felt a great sense of relief as I knew Tilly’s ordeal would be over soon and she would be safe.

“Tilly was a little nervous about the whole drama but the guys who answered the call were fantastic with both of us. I was worried sick but the care shown by all of the team was second to none.

“The firefighters were like magicians as they managed to open the car door using specialist equipment.  When I saw Tilly pounding out of the car door my emotion was one of absolute relief.

“It was the best feeling in the world.  I couldn’t put it into words how I felt.  The crew made a real fuss over Tilly. It was lovely to watch.

“Tilly and I can’t thank them enough. They [firefighters] are fabulous and fantastic people, and their speedy response to our incident was a credit to the Service.”

Martin Farrow, Station Manager at Gateshead Community Fire Station, praised the crew as he said: “Our firefighters have to train for every eventuality whether it be house fires, road traffic collisions or in this case animal rescues.”

He continued: “We always have the health and wellbeing of the animals at the heart of the rescue, and at the same time we look to reassure the owners as they will be concerned for their pets.

“We would like to say well-done to our crew and to Fire Control who dealt with the incident, and we were pleased to see Tilly and Dawn safely reunited.”