When a frightened dog named Cody backed even farther under a backyard shed in Bay Shore, New York, firefighters stopped digging and brought out air bags, hydraulic rescue tools and cribbing. It took about 20 minutes.
A Wentzville, Missouri, firefighter-paramedic crawled into a sewer and chiseled away at a crack with a hammer to free a trapped kitten’s paw. A couple of weeks later, she made sure his story had a happy ending.
A fawn spent what rescuers believe was several days trapped in a storm drain beside an apartment complex in Cary, North Carolina. Firefighters, animal control and public works crews spent hours getting it out with a tripod and a harness.
Aphrodite, a tiny Nigerian dwarf goat, spent a night stranded on a cliff ledge in Metchosin, B.C. Firefighters cleared a path, lowered a rescuer with pockets full of goat treats, and brought her home to her relieved owner.
Snowy, a 23-year-old horse, got stuck in a ditch tangled in branches in Staffordshire, England. Firefighters cleared the way, two neighbors brought a telehandler, and later he walked back into his stable on his own.
While his owner shopped, a dog was trapped in a car that burst into flames. Spokane Valley firefighters pulled him out with melted whiskers and smoke in his lungs, then gave him oxygen until he was back on his feet.
Hattiesburg firefighters heard an eerie screech from a burning house, pulled an unresponsive dog through a window and used a donated pet oxygen mask. Ten minutes later, he was back on his feet.