‘He’s going to be the best asset we have’
A new “leash” on life has been given to a dog, whose owner died in a house fire. Gilmer County Fire and Rescue adopted him and made him part of the team.
With her compassion for canines, Sgt. Katherine Evans, took the orphaned dog into her care. The department gave him an honorary name and rank as Lt. Riggs, and made him their official mascot.
On Jan 24, GCFR units were dispatched to a residential fire off Hwy. 52. As crews battled the blaze, Evans recalled that a small dog wandered through the chaotic scene.
He stayed close to first responders, sitting beside them and offering small moments of comfort as exhausted crews stepped away for air cylinder swaps or water breaks, she said.
“[Riggs] was trying to play tug of war with all of our firefighters and whatever gear they had on them at the time … he never went away through all the chaos, he hung out, and he just made his rounds to each firefighter as they took breaks,” she remembered.
Unfortunately, the fire resulted in the death of the homeowner and left multiple dogs, discovered in a shed at the back of the property, with no one to take care of them.
A couple days later, Battalion Chief Terence Evans returned to the scene, to assess the damage and check on the dogs. Riggs came running up to him with his tail wagging, she said.
The family of the victim happened to be there, and expressed their gratitude for GCFR wanting to adopt the dog and prevent him from having to go to the shelter. Arrangements were made for the other surviving animals.
For years, she’s been asking the chiefs to get a station dog, and this became the perfect opportunity they couldn’t turn down, especially since everyone already loved Riggs so much.
The chief scooped up the little dog to take back to Station 1. Evans said as a stray dog being introduced to a new environment and never having been on a leash before, he was skittish, shy and hesitant.
“It took him a couple days to get warmed up to everybody, but once he did, he became the station favorite,” Evans said.
The dog has now been with the department for about two months. After much debate and a station-wide vote, the name Riggs stuck. It was inspired by fire crews calling any type of apparatus, like a ladder truck, a rig.
“It just makes sense to call him Riggs, and with every station animal, it’s just known that they are one rank ahead of you, and I’m a sergeant so I made him a lieutenant,” she noted.
Beyond everyone at the department pitching in for food and toys for Riggs, when they voiced their need for a kennel to the community, the response was overwhelming. Donations poured in not just of a large kennel, but also of Chewy subscription boxes, a doghouse and more.
“Riggs is living the dream at this point,” she said. “He’s a great dog and it’s for a great cause. I’m just very thankful ... This is such a great community, and there’s no doubt they are supportive in every way.”
They reached out to Sylvia Harris with Friends of Gilmer Animal Shelter, who arranged and funded Rigg’s medical care. He was neutered, vaccinated and treated for fleas and ticks.
“We got him one day, and he was in three days later for a scheduled neuter,” Evans added. “Sylvia jumped right on that and took care of all that for us.”
Training became their next hurdle. Sharon Callan, with Paws Be Good 4 U and Shelter Dogs for Veterans, stepped in and donated her services to teach Riggs basic commands. Evans said they are starting to see progress, and playful spirit shine through, while he is still adjusting and living at her home.
When asked why she welcomed the dog into her home while he’s being trained, Evans voiced, “It was an easy decision. This dog deserved so much after what he has been through … I felt like it was my job, not only as a first responder but as a human being, to give this dog a second chance. By taking him into my home, I’ve gotten him used to other friendly dogs and younger kids and he has plenty of land to run on.”
Once Riggs is fully trained and back at Station 1 full time, their goal is for him to become a therapy dog, to help their department and community members through times of tragedy.
“When you have a dog like that and you come back to the station after a fatality fire or a car accident, there is nothing like seeing a friendly, happy face that’s always happy to see you,” she explained.
He will be a part of their peer counseling program that’s being developed, which will aim to provide mental health services for their crews. Eventually, their hope is to allow Riggs to come on calls with them, to help comfort victims and community members as well.
As the station’s first therapy dog, Evans believes he will be the best asset the station can have, where she said, “He is that type of dog with that type of spirit, that is just going to help you in every way that it can internally in our department, but also external for anybody that may need that extra nudge of love.”