PORTSMOUTH, Va. - Her name is Smoke - and fortunately for this pit bull mix, Brad Chambers was in the right place at the right time.
News 3first told you about Brad last week. He was out with his landscaping crew in Downtown Portsmouth when he spotted the injured dog.
"All you could see is pouring of blood. [I] saw all these puncture wounds. I called out to employees to get towels and get the trauma kit," he said.
Smoke was initially brought to the Cove, a 24-hour emergency and specialty care animal hospital in Suffolk, but after about 48 hours there, veterinarians realized that Smoke needed to go to a next-level facility- and that was down to Raleigh at N.C. State's College of Veterinary Medicine.
Brad drove down there himself.
"So, that decision was just to be accountable to everybody putting their hands in their pockets."
Brad is referencing the money pledged from the community to help with vet bills. He had already made a personal commitment for Smoke's bills for the first night of care before she was even transferred to Raleigh.
"By the end of that evening, I'd spent approximately $5,000 of my own money, but knowing that the community was going to rally," he explained.
Brad is also quick to point to the local vet team in Suffolk.
"The Cove saved the puppy's life. The puppy was dying when she got here."
But Danielle Russ, the Cove's hospital manager, credits Brad's quick thinking.
"It was his fast action, contacting; his immediate action upon finding her, calling first responders - their action and quickly getting and of course, our team's actions from there. All of that came together," she told us.
For how Brad jumped into action with his trauma kit, calling the proper authorities and getting a fundraising effort going for Smoke's vet bills, News 3 presented him with a People Taking Action award along with a $300 Visa gift card from our community partner, Southern Bank.
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Brad says the the total vets bills are in the $15,000 range, but that Smoke's support fund has reached more than $30,000. He wants to start a non-profit with any leftover money, and he wants to spread awareness about animal cruelty, trauma first aid and assist in the prosecution of animal cruelty.
Smoke is now back home from Raleigh with Brad, continuing to recuperate from her recent surgery and medical care. Brad is now in the process of formally adopting Smoke.
To nominate someone for a People Taking Action Award, click here.
