On January 7 of this year, Atlanta police responded to a terrifying call – an entire abandoned apartment building was engulfed in flames. While dousing the monster blaze, Officer Robert Winkler found a dog, unconscious from smoke inhalation, and pulled him away from the collapsing porch. Officer Austin Denninger took it from there, carrying the helpless dog to safety.

Denninger and his colleagues cared for the dog while waiting for Animal Cruelty Liaison SPO Amy Soeldner to arrive. EMT Jesse Johnson provided the dog with much-needed oxygen to bring him back to consciousness. When Officer Soeldner got there, she put her coat around the shaking dog until he was ready to be moved back to the shelter for some TLC.

We’ll never know how he got there, and there are no leads to the family he might have come from. Happily, though, he survived his ordeal, and his rescuers named him Smoky. He has been put up for adoption at Fulton County Animal Services. Thank you to the heroes who saved Smokey, who now awaits a forever home with a loving family!