Persistent firefighters save family's dog impaled on piece of metal

A week ago, one Texas family feared their beloved pet would die after they found him impaled on an old piece of yard equipment made of solid iron.

But thanks to McKinney firefighters, their dog, Tucker, was rescued using the Jaws of Life and was given a chance to spend many more years with his family.

“It was through his body, and I immediately thought the worst,” Felicia Guerra, the dog's owner, told KXAS-TV on Monday.

What happened?

The Guerra family still doesn't know how the border collie got himself stuck on the antique edger that was in their yard, but they called the city's animal control for help.

“There were a lot of tears because we thought we had to say goodbye,” Guerra said.

Animal control officers believed Tucker, who was alert, had a chance at survival, so they called the fire department.

The firefighters responded and got busy trying to find a way to rescue the 1 1/2-year-old dog.

“We were trying to figure out the best way to get him off of it because the machinery was too big to bring it with us to the vet clinic,” Fire Capt. Travis Irick said.

Soon they decided to try the Jaws of Life; a cutting tool often used to rescue people who are trapped inside a car after an accident.

They began carefully cutting the metal trying not to let it move too much inside the dog's body.

Did the Jaws of Life work?

It worked.

The firefighters bandaged Tucker up, and the family headed to the veterinarian.

The vet told the Guerras that Tucker was fortunate because the metal missed his organs when it went through his body.

“They sewed him up, and he’s good as new,” Guerra said.

On Monday, the Guerra family took Tucker, who wears a T-shirt to cover his wounds, to visit the firefighters who gave him a second lease on life.

Guerra said her family is grateful for the firefighters who went above and beyond to save their dog.

The family also took homemade cookies to show their appreciation to the firefighters.

Do they still have the edger?

Guerra's husband had planned to restore the piece of equipment that had belonged to his grandfather, but now they've decided to get rid of it.