Puppies left at Omaha fire station will be up for adoption

Andy Brewer spotted the plastic tub by the bay doors of Fire Station 77 as his rig backed in after an 11 p.m. call.

lab 6 — Because the fire station has no surveillance cameras, there are no clues about who left the puppies in this tote.

ANDY BREWER

Sunday was Elizabeth Ramsey’s last night before starting her retirement, and people had been stopping in all evening to celebrate. Brewer figured she must have left a box outside by mistake.

“I went out to check, and it was a tub that said lab puppies,” he said.

Taped shut with a few air holes and some blankets, it was full to the brim with six squirming lab puppies that are about 3 weeks old.

Ramsey had heard nothing in the 20 or so minutes the rig was gone from 202nd and F Streets on a nonemergency call.

puppies-10 — Pam Wiese, interim CEO for the Nebraska Humane Society, said the puppies that were left in a plastic tub by the bay doors of Fire Station 77 are healthy, although slightly skinny.

NIKOS FRAZIER, THE WORLD-HERALD

“He was freaking out,” she said of Brewer. “He was banging on my door. ‘You have to come out. You won’t believe it.’”

After bringing the puppies inside to get warm, the firefighters called the Nebraska Humane Society. The six on duty at the firehouse all agreed that it was a good thing that co-worker Ray Honaker had called in sick or the puppies would have joined the brood of rescues already under his care.

Although there was some cleanup involved, the puppies, which weighed about 10 pounds each, were hard to resist during the half-hour wait.

“Everybody was cuddling them and falling in love with them,” Ramsey said.

Brewer said the puppies, five girls and one boy, appeared healthy. There are no surveillance cameras at the fire station, so they have no clues as to the identity of the owner.

puppies-06 — The lab puppies left at the fire station play inside a room at the Nebraska Humane Society. They will go through spay-neuter surgery in the next few days and then be available for adoption.

NIKOS FRAZIER, THE WORLD-HERALD

While he’s glad the puppies were left somewhere they would be found, he said taking them to the Humane Society would have been a better idea.

“I hope those dogs get some great homes,” he said.

Pam Wiese, interim CEO for NHS, said the puppies are healthy, although slightly skinny.

“They will go through spay-neuter surgery in the next couple of days and be available for adoption,” she said.

Ramsey, 45, said playing with the puppies was the cherry on top of an already wonderful day celebrating her 25 years with the Fire Department. The only downside was her husband, Brandon, wanted her to bring one home, even though they already have five pets. Five is enough, she said.

Both Brewer and Ramsey said nothing like this had ever happened before in their long careers, although Ramsey said she had resuscitated a dog after a fire a year ago.

“She will definitely be able to remember her retirement day now,” Brewer said.