On International Firefighters Day, Gus The Guinea Pig Says Thanks

International Firefighters Day is May 4.  The following is a letter to the Bellmawr Fire Department from Gus the Guinea Pig:

I appreciate and thank the heroes of the Bellmawr Fire Department. They are the only reason that I am here today. They saved my life.

September 19, 2016 was just like any other day. I was in my cage in the living room munching on Timothy Hay.

Then, a fire broke out.

My family made it out safely, but I was still inside. I don’t remember a lot because it happened so fast.

It was really hot and smoke was everywhere. I heard strange voices and I was getting wet. My ear started to hurt and it was hard for me to see. I was having trouble catching my breath.

The next thing I remember is someone picking up my cage, but I couldn’t see where we were going.

Then all of a sudden, it got really bright. I made it out!

A Bellmawr fireman set my cage down. It was melted on one side and my water bottle was warped.

Before I could give that fireman a nose bump to thank him for saving me, he was gone. He turned right around and ran back inside my house.

I heard people saying: “Oh no” and “He’s not gonna make it.”

But someone picked me up, wrapped me in a hoodie and we walked away.

I started to sneeze and cough.

I was taken to another house and cleaned up. It took two baths to wash away the soot.

Someone brought me a new cage, water bottle, and a purple igloo. As I settled in, my appetite started to come back. The carrots and parsley tasted so good, but my ear was really hurting and my eye started to sting.

The next day, I had an appointment with a veterinarian because I lost all the fur on my right ear. It was red and raw and looked like a potato chip. I was still coughing a little bit. At my appointment, the veterinarian listened to my breathing through his stethoscope and he was concerned that I might get pneumonia.

He gave me berry flavored liquid pain medication that I licked from a plastic syringe. I had to have special cream applied to my ear and eye drops placed in my eye for several days.

I didn’t like that at all, but I started to feel better right away.

It’s been almost eight months since the fire. I am still in my foster home and you wouldn’t even know that I was hurt in a fire. Stubble has started to grow back on my ear and my eye is all better.

These days, I like to spend time hanging out in my purple igloo and plotting ways to push open my exercise pen so I can go exploring. I also like being outside to graze and to look for clover.

I am a BOSS at hide and seek.

I owe my life to the Bellmawr Fire Department because they rescued me.

On International Firefighter’s Appreciation Day, please take some time out of your day to say “Thank You” to the firemen and women of your local fire department. They volunteer their time and put themselves on the line to save lives, even little ones like mine.

Thank you, Bellmawr Fire Department. I will always remember your bravery and selflessness.

Oh…And to anyone else that might be reading this: PLEASE remember to change the batteries in your smoke detectors. Working smoke detectors really do save lives!