Stuck in Swamp, Horse Now Good to Giddyup and Go

This is not the horse rescued from a Michigan swamp Thursday. But the clip is fun to watch, plus it’s the weekend. (Screenshot: YouTube)

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There’s a news bullet here – about a fellow firefighters went to talk to about a horse – but first, the setup:

Stories of firefighters rescuing cats from trees, dogs from burning buildings and the like are so woven into our collective understanding of emergency responders’ commitment to keeping us and ours safe and comfortable that they’ve become a treasured cliche.

Children’s stories, from today’s “Fireman Small” series to the decades-old “Dick and Jane” grammar school readers devote at least one chapter to a firefighter and a feline. Cat videos, especially those featuring tiny not-yet weaned creatures saved by big, tough firefighters, are the vortex of the Internet.

Even Business Insider, a buttoned-up, we-care-mainly-about-stocks-and-bonds kind of publication, published a collection of the 15 cutest pictures of firefighter cat rescues evah! Check out a cat named (of course) Smokey, who nearly used up one of the proverbial nine lives in Montana. Cuteness. Melting. :=)

Tell Us:

• Finish the sentence: Firefighters and other emergency responders are unsung heroes because ________.

You don’t have to go all the way to Missoula to find heart-melting stories of pet rescues.

Last week, a dog catcher in Southfield gave a dog rescued from a fire mouth-to-mouth resuscitation – and mouth-to-mouth really means he pursed his lips over the pooch’s – after the animal topped breathing.

A week before that, Farmington Hills firefighters rescued a dog that had been swallowed by a sinkhole, a casualty of the Aug. 11 flash flooding that compromised highway infrastructure throughout southeast Michigan.

It’s the stuff of warm and fuzzy stories exposing the soft sides of the authentic local heroes who put their lives on the line.

Cue the “oohs,” “aahs” for that story, too.

Thursday evening’s rescue by Howell firefighters was a horse of different color.

By the time it was over, everyone – including the distressed filly firefighters found trying to slosh her way out of the swamp – was a hot, muddy mess. In other words, they ranked low on the squeezability scale.

Pulling on ropes in teams of a dozen at a time, 20 Howell firefighters labored several hours to rescue a large horse that had gotten stuck in a swamp in the 1000 block of Dutcher Road near Munsell, The Livingston Daily Press & Argus reports. She was submerged in muck up to her neck.

The horse wasn’t much help until her knights were able to free her front legs. A veterinarian was on hand with a sedative to keep her calm during the ordeal. Once she was free, the mare got a bath and passed the vet’s physical. She’s fine, according to the report.

Assisting were members of the Livingston County Tech Rescue Team, which includes firefighters from Brighton, Howell, Hartland and Putnam.

Alas, there is no video. But their rescue was a no important example of community service than those of colleagues who creep through smoke-filled rooms on their bellies until they find the source of a bark.

Whinny if you agree.