Inferno destroys pound just hours before pets' departure

The scent of smoke wafting through the downstate pound alerted Hobbs he was in trouble -- again.

Weeks earlier, the black-and-white Newfoundland mix had been dumped by the road to fend for himself before an animal control officer had picked him up.

He could have been euthanized, but he was selected by the Elk Grove Village-based Almost Home Foundation to live with a Des Plaines foster family until he was adopted.

Now, all the pound workers had gone home for the night. Come daybreak, he and other dogs and cats were to ride more than 300 miles from Benton, Ill., to Chicago-area animal shelters.

Pets in Peril A three-part series looking at the fate facing animals at high-kill shelters downstate and how suburban residents help run a rescue pipeline. Stories Part 3 | Adopted pets reach end of harrowing journey, settle into suburban homes [04/01/2008] Part 2 | A packed cargo van takes pets to hope in the suburbs [03/31/2008]Part 1 | Life and death [03/30/2008] Inferno destroys pound just hours before pets' departure [03/30/2008]How you can help [03/30/2008] Video Overview Part 1 Part 2 Part 3 But flames ripped through the Franklin County animal pound's attic after an electrical fault, burning insulation and releasing toxic fumes. There was no one to hear as panicked pets cried for help.Hobbs pushed through a vinyl-flap dog door to an outside, padlocked run to escape. But the cats and some dogs -- including Lizzie, a black Labrador; her barely-weaned puppy; and Cookie, a sweet-natured dachshund -- were trapped inside. As flames shot through the roof, a passing motorist called 911. It was about 10:30 p.m. Nov. 19.Police immediately called pound workers and animal rescue volunteers, with many arriving at the same time as the volunteer firefighters. "I woke up to the sound of a police officer beating on my bedroom window," said Nathan Reed, an animal control officer, who lives nearby. When Reed drove up the dirt road past the town cemetery to the pound, all he saw was a bright red glow against the darkness of night."Smoke was pouring out everywhere," Reed said. "You could taste it." He grabbed a pair of bolt cutters from firefighters to snap off the locks on the runs. He began by freeing Hobbs, whose 73 pounds of bulk almost knocked Reed off his feet as he sprinted off into the night. Then Reed snapped other locks, setting free dozens of dogs. But many of the puppies were still inside. "The dog door was a foot off the ground, so it was hard for the pups and they couldn't get out," Reed said. "There are nine puppies in run No. 2!" pound worker Dottie Darr yelled. A firefighter reached through the flap, feeling for puppies. One, two, three, four, five, six, seven, eight, nine -- sooty and coughing, six golden retriever and three Labrador puppies emerged. Shortly after, the roof collapsed. Two hours later, when firefighters broke open the front door, a 4-week-old kitten ran out. The runt of the litter, she'd squeezed through the metal cage slats while her seven siblings and mother died of smoke inhalation. Of the 50 dogs in the pound, 18, mostly puppies, perished. The cats, who didn't have access to outside runs, fared worse. About 40 died, about a dozen survived.Because of a lack of space, Cookie, Lizzie and her puppy, and a litter of black Labradors had been put in dog carriers, not dog runs. Darr found Cookie, a 15-pound dachshund and a favorite because of her sweet nature, crumpled on the bottom of the carrier. "I was sick about it," she said. Next to Cookie was Lizzie's only puppy, also dead. As she moved through the pound, Darr found three black lab puppies, in cages closer to the floor, alive and whimpering to be let out. Then she spotted Lizzie. "I really did not expect to see a live dog in there," said Darr, who found a dripping wet Lizzie staring back at her. About 2 a.m., pound workers and volunteers placed the still-traumatized survivors scheduled for transport in carriers. They put Hobbs in a white hatchback with about 10 other dogs to await the 6 a.m. departure for the suburbs. "Hobbs is everyone's favorite dog," said Kathy Dwyer, a Franklin County volunteer as she stared at Hobbs in the back of her hatchback. If he'd died, "I would've been devastated."How to helpDonations to the effort to rebuild the Franklin County Animal Control building can be sent to:Franklin County Animal ControlP.O. Box 967 Benton, IL 62812Attn: Donation 512316More than 50 cats and dogs were killed in a fire at the Franklin County shelter the night before many were to depart for the suburbs. Benton firefighter Garrett Britton takes a moment to console a surviving dog.Laura Stoecker | Staff Photographer