A terrified dog, who ran straight into the flames engulfing Lahaina in Hawaii, has been rescued, treated, and reunited with his family.
Roman was relaxing at home with a dog sitter when wildfires swept through his neighborhood last Tuesday.
Residents were forced to grab what they could and flee, but Roman, in a panicked state, failed to follow his minder into the Lahaina waters for safety and ran straight into the inferno that had tragically claimed his home.
Writing on the fundraising website GoFundMe, a Maui resident who knows Roman and his owners, wrote: “Roman was with a dog sitter when the fires in Lahaina began on Tuesday.
“The dog sitter had no choice but to jump into the waters of Lahaina to save them, but he did not jump in with her. Roman ran off terrified down Front Street.”
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Miraculously, he survived and was rescued two days later. The lucky pup was found by staff at contractors Goodfellow Bros and was taken to Ma’alaea Harbor where we were ferried over to Maui Humane Society for treatment.
He suffered severe and excruciating burns to his paws, legs and back.
But, thanks to the work of the vets at the Maui Humane Society – which has been overrun with animals needing its care since the wildfires broke out – Roman is doing well, according to his owners.
Dog shelter Maui Humane Society said: “Roman was microchipped, we called his owners and they immediately came to the shelter to take their baby boy home.
“Roman is now safe and with his ohana (family) and doing well according to his owners.”
This happy ending gives hope to all of the people still searching for their missing pets.
Roman’s former foster family commented: “We were the family that fostered Roman before this fine family adopted him (we knew him as Blue).
“We are so happy to see that he survived, and while hurt and in pain has plenty of people around him that love him and will take the bestest care of him. All our love from Big Island.”
Maui Humane Society plans on entering Lahaina to help search for lost pets when it is safe to do so. In the meantime, they are asking people to file a lost report on their website.
At least 96 residents have been killed, more than 2,000 buildings were destroyed, and an estimated 1,000 people remain unaccounted for.
Facebook groups have been inundated with photos of cats, dogs, rabbits, horses, and exotic birds, and many remain missing one week on from the deadliest wildfire in the United States in more than a century.
Thousands of Maui residents have responded by offering to help locate the missing pets or make financial contributions. Many have posted photographs of pets spotted roaming around the ashen remains of Lahaina.
Katie Shannon, of the Maui Humane Society, told The Independent that an estimated 3,000 pets are missing on Maui. Residents have filed 370 lost reports, and the shelter had taken in 52 animals by Monday, some with severe burns.
A fundraiser set up to assist the Maui Humane Society had raised just under $500,000 by Monday afternoon.
The Maui community was showing strong solidarity in helping to save the island’s beloved pets, the animal charity said.
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