Shelter Me: Red Paw Emergency Relief Team

PHILADELPHIA (WPVI) -- In this week's Shelter Me, we learn about a relief team that is there to help our four legged friends in the event of an emergency.

On December 16th, when Dana Brown received a phone call that her home was on fire, her first thought was the safety of her dog and three cats.

"I left work, rushed home, and saw the houses just like completely destroyed. I didn't care about anything. I was just worried about them," said Dana.

While the Red Cross was helping the people. The Red Paw Emergency Relief Team was on the scene to save the pets.

Jen Leary is the Founder of Red Paw.

"We provide emergency search and rescue, emergency transport, emergency vet care. The fire department calls us when they're on scene and says there are pets involved. We have fire fighters who are on call that respond for us," she said.

Jen Leary was a firefighter for seven years when she realized there was a void that needed to be filled.

"Nobody was there to take care of the pets, to provide care for them on scene if they were injured," said Leary.

Red Paw has been in operation for over five years, dealing with everything from fires to gas leaks, helping around 500 families each year.

"I lost everything, but what matters is they got out of the house," said Dana.

They even provide temporary foster homes for the pets while the family gets back on their feet. Dana was recently reunited with her dog, Milo.

"Milo is my best friend," said Dana.

Her three cats are still in the care of Red Paw until she can bring them home.

Dana adds, "I'm so stress free right now. I can call every day to check on them. I'm really stress free right now like I'm okay."

And finally, there is Rocky. Rocky is a sweet little puppy who was displaced from his family a few weeks ago when their apartment building caught on fire. He's currently being cared for by Red Paw but his hoping to be back with his family in a few weeks.

If you'd like to donate or see how you can help you can visit the Red Paw Emergency Relief Team website.

And, if you'd like us to share your shelter success stories, post a picture to the FYI Philly Facebook page using #6abc Shelter Me and tell us where you adopted your pet and how much they mean to you.

Action News will feature your stories in upcoming Shelter Me segments.