When fire tore through Jim Acierno’s home in Westport, Massachusetts, he wasn’t thinking about the house. He wasn’t thinking about his belongings. He was thinking about one thing: his 6-year-old Labrador retriever, Lucy, who was trapped inside.
Two weeks later, that same dog walked down a hospital hallway lined with cheering veterinary staff, wearing a teal “bravery bandana,” and straight into his arms.
Trapped in the Basement of a Burning Home
The fire broke out at the family’s home on Main Road on September 16, 2026. Lucy and two cats were inside.
Standing outside while firefighters worked, Acierno could only think about his dog. “I just kept on screaming. I want my dog. Everything else doesn’t matter,” he told NBC 10 News.
Lucy was in the basement, according to WPRI. Her daycare later described her as stuck in a basement bedroom of the burning building. Bay State Veterinary Emergency and Specialty Services said Lucy and her feline housemates were inside for about 30 minutes before they were rescued, while Acierno and the GoFundMe set up for her described it as 40 long minutes.
Either way, it was far too long for any animal to be breathing smoke. Every minute that passed made it harder to believe she would come out alive, and her family could do nothing but wait on the other side of the flames.
Firefighters Carried Her Out
When firefighters finally brought Lucy out, she was barely responsive. “Lucy was, head lulled over, tongue hanging out,” Acierno said.
The GoFundMe organizers at Paws ‘N’ Play Doggy Daycare, where Lucy is a regular, wrote that her breathing was labored and she was minimally responsive. Photos of responders working to resuscitate her on the front lawn, they said, were not easy to look at.
They thanked the Westport firefighters and the emergency responders from neighboring towns who saved Lucy and her cat siblings. Both cats were rescued as well, and the daycare reported that they were discharged and doing well.
Lucy, though, was in serious trouble. She was rushed to Bay State Veterinary Emergency and Specialty Services for emergency care.
Eight Days Fighting in the ICU
Lucy spent eight days in Bay State’s intensive care unit. The hospital said she suffered severe respiratory distress, needed high-flow oxygen, and had to be fed through a nasogastric tube while her body fought to recover.
There were frightening moments. At one point, the daycare wrote, Lucy took a turn for the worse, and vets gave her a 55 percent chance of survival. She was still squinting from all the smoke exposure.
Her family kept showing up. “We’d go visit her, she wouldn’t eat, we’d bring her favorite food, nothing. And then all of a sudden, she got better,” Acierno said.
Bay State said its emergency and critical care team gave Lucy around-the-clock care. Slowly, the brave Lab started to come back. “I saw my Lucy in there again,” Acierno said.
A Hallway Full of Cheers
When Lucy was finally medically cleared to go home, the hospital staff made sure she left in style.
In a video shared by Bay State, Lucy walks down a hallway lined with cheering veterinary staffers, proudly wearing her teal bravery bandana, and into the arms of her owner.
“We’re so happy to see Lucy back home where she belongs,” the hospital wrote. Her owner shared a message of thanks with the team: “MANY MANY MANY thanks again for allowing me to have my precious Lucy back in my life.”
It was the kind of moment that makes every long shift in an animal ICU worth it. A dog who had come through those doors barely breathing was now walking out on her own four feet, tail going, toward the person who had refused to give up on her.
For a man who lost his home, the words he gave NBC 10 News said everything. “I can deal with losing my house. I couldn’t deal with that if I didn’t have her.”
Lucy’s Long Road and Her Owner’s Wish
Lucy is home with her family now, walking, eating and wagging her tail. But her recovery is not over. Acierno said the fire left her with serious health problems, including lung damage. She tires easily and still coughs.
Every morning and every evening, Lucy gets about an hour of treatment, including eye care and chest percussion, a technique that helps loosen congestion in her lungs. Her recovery is expected to take months, and her family says they will be by her side every step of the way.
The family has been living out of a hotel since the fire, according to WPRI. The community has rallied around them. The GoFundMe started by Paws ‘N’ Play has raised more than $16,000 to help with Lucy’s veterinary bills, and the daycare promised to cover her day boarding to help her settle back into normal life while her family returns to work.
But Acierno’s biggest request is not for himself. He is asking people to donate pet oxygen masks to their local fire departments, so other animals caught in fires have a better chance to survive, just like Lucy did.
It is a simple idea that grew out of the worst day of his life: turning his family’s close call into a better chance for someone else’s pet.
“As long as she’s comfortable and as long as she can have a good life, then I’m happy,” he said.
If Lucy’s story made you smile, share it. And give your own pet an extra hug tonight.