CEDAR HILL FIRE DEPARTMENT IS HOME TO ASPCA DOG OF THE YEAR
Source: NBC DFW (Extract)
Posted: September 15, 2022
Texas connects us to the ASPCA Dog of the Year, a three-year-old Catahoula/hound mix living her best life at the Cedar Hill Fire Department.
Every year, the ASPCA® (American Society for the Prevention of Cruelty to Animals®) honors animal heroes who have demonstrated extraordinary efforts, as well as individuals who have shown outstanding commitment to assisting at-risk animals.
Clementine of Cedar Hill’s Fire Department’s Fire Station #212 will be receiving the ASPCA Dog of the Year Award, which is given to a dog who demonstrates outstanding heroism in service to humans.
The news release announcing Clementine’s award tells the story of a dog evacuated from Louisiana in May 2021, three months before Hurricane Ida hit. She ended up 500 miles away at the Tri-City Animal Shelter in Cedar Hill.
Clementine was adopted twice but returned each time because of her challenges adapting to her adopted families’ lifestyles and other pets.
Around the same time, Captain Robert Moree of the Cedar Hill Fire Department wrote a letter to his Fire Chief proposing they adopt a dog to help the firefighters cope with their stressful jobs.
A response to a fire alarm near the shelter ultimately led the firefighters to Clementine. The captain adopted her in October 2021, but Fire Station #212 is her home.
The firefighters say Clemintine is a natural fire dog. She loves riding on a fire truck and is always ready to comfort them in times of stress.
For all that, the American Society for the Prevention of Cruelty to Animals named Clementine its Dog of the Year.