Dog lover loses home in fire, community rallies to care for pets

HOUSTON - When the Northwest Volunteer Fire Department arrived at the house last Wednesday night, they encountered heavy fire conditions.

"Fire crews were able to pull an elderly man out of the residence. He was breathing on his own, but transported in very critical condition," said fire chief Wesley Cole with the Northwest Volunteer Fire Department. 

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"One of my neighbors called me. She said a family friend who she went to school with her house had a bad fire, and she knows I'm an animal lover. She said, ‘would I come out and help out the dogs?’" said Moselle Hindle.

Moselle and others are now caring for seven to nine dogs who were owned by a 65-year-old man, a true dog lover.

"His wife was not at the house at the time," Moselle said. "She was actually taking care of her sick mother."

While the homeowner clings to life, Moselle and others are looking out for his traumatized dogs.

"You can tell they're concerned as to what's going on and where is their owner," she said.

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It's a 90-minute drive each way for Moselle to feed the dogs.

"It's the dogs who need it," she said.

Sadly, one of the dogs died in the fire.

"When one of the daughters saw this, she, of course, broke down in tears as well. It's definitely hard to see," said Moselle. 

A couple of the dogs are ready for adoption, but most will require time to heal.

"The goal is to earn their trust and find homes for them," Moselle said. 

For more information on how you can help the organization that's stepping in to help, click here.