Leah the Border Collie, who was rescued from a burning house and resuscitated by Arlington firefighters, has died. On Sunday, October 7, members of Battalion 1 responded to a report of a house fire in the 2200 block of Wyrick Court. The call was made by the homeowner's father, who had stopped by the house to feed the pets and saw flames.

While some firefighters started battling the blaze, a second team searched the house for any occupants. After finding the border collie in the home's bathroom, firefighters carried the large dog's seemingly lifeless body outside, and placed her gently on the ground. Firefighters then attached a special pet mask and spent the next hour trying to resuscitate the dog. Four bottles of oxygen were used to treat the animal.

"We are very proud of the rescue efforts and the job our firefighters did to save Leah," said Lt. Kevin Seeton, Arlington Fire Department spokesman. "We try to go above and beyond for all our citizens. It just broke our hearts to hear about Leah's passing, because we worked really hard." A cat that was in the house did not survive.

The Arlington Fire Department carries three different sizes of pet oxygen masks on each battalion chief's car and on every ladder truck. These pet masks were provided by the Dog Scouts of America.

While the department typically uses the masks three to four times per year, this week has been active. "We hadn't used the masks in months, but had to use them last night (October 9) to save two puppies rescued from a burning house," Lt. Keeton said. The special oxygen masks are specifically designed to fit the muzzles and snouts of dogs, cats and other household pets.