CASTLE ROCK, Colo. (KDVR) — A sheriff’s deputy is being praised for smashing the windows of a burning SUV and rescuing a frightened dog in a Castle Rock, Colorado, neighborhood.
Douglas County Deputy Michael Gregorek’s body camera video from Jan. 22 shows him arriving on the scene as smoke pours from the driver’s side window of the SUV.
The owner frantically yells that his dog Hank is somewhere inside the locked vehicle. Gregorek asks the owner “Where’s it at?” and whistles to get the dog’s attention.
He uses a baton to smash two windows before pulling Hank out of the shattered rear window of the SUV after the owner could not get him out. The dog appeared to be drooling heavily as he was lifted from the smoke-filled vehicle.
The officer quickly carried him to a nearby snowbank, coughing after saving the pup from the noxious, black fumes.
By the time a veterinarian arrived, Hank was already sprinting around and ready to play.
The Associated Press contributed to this report.