Most Popular Dog Breeds In Australia

Meet Arlo, The Butler Bureau Of Fire's New Dog

New firehouse dog, Arlo, with from left, Matthew Wilson, Derek Thompson, Floyd Lohr and Dean Selfridge on Monday, June 16. Arlo's training will soon begin at Butler's fire station. Rob McGraw/Butler Eagle

Rob McGraw

It was a warm Friday morning when Arlo made his journey from the Butler County Humane Society to his new home, the Butler Bureau of Fire.

Arlo is a mixed breed estimated to be about 1 year old by the humane society, his former caregivers. He was officially adopted by the International Association of Fire Fighters Local 114 on Friday, June 13, after receiving approval from the city to house him at the station.

Firefighter Dean Selfridge explained that he and a few other firefighters first met Arlo at a YMCA event a few months ago, and two days later, the bureau was moving to adopt him.

Selfridge said Arlo will serve as an emotional support animal for members of the department as part of a movement toward recognizing and encouraging mental health.

"We had discussions for a couple of years about (getting a dog)," Selfridge said. "Obviously, with the world of fire and EMS with (post-traumatic stress disorder), that's a big thing. Our international (union) is trying to help mitigate that."

Selfridge also sees Arlo as a shift in the bureau's culture, as it has been decades since the bureau had a firehouse dog. It would also be a shift to community relations, as Selfridge expressed hope that Arlo could serve as a face for the bureau.

"We think he's going to build another avenue of community relations with Butler," Selfridge said. "Once we get him ready to see the public, that's going to get people into the firehouse, meet the firefighters and meet him. We can also talk about fire prevention."

Matthew Wilson, trainer for Hounds of Honor, plays with Arlo on Monday, June 16, as training will soon begin at the City of Butler fire station. Rob McGraw/Butler Eagle

Rob McGraw

Matthew Wilson is a trainer from Hounds for Honor, a nonprofit dedicated to training dogs for first responders and veterans. He said that Arlo has some basic training already, but still needs some work on obedience.

"He's going to go through a bunch of different phases," Wilson said. "The very first thing that we're going to start working on is just some general socialization work. Then, we'll start with some basic obedience work."

Arlo will receive different training, such as how to handle crowds and how to be comfortable on a leash. He also will receive specialized training that will get him to automatically go into a crate when a call comes in.

"Right now, obviously, it's like a huge transition," Wilson said. "Dogs are really big on schedules, so going from being wherever he was and then going to a shelter and having a huge uproot with his daily routine and then coming here, it all causes a lot of stress."

In his first days at the bureau, Selfridge said he heard no serious complaints about Arlo's behavior, and that everyone was excited they have him.

"He's a joy to be around," Selfridge said. "He's obviously young. He's still wanting to play. He seems to tell us when he wants to go outside already. He hasn't, knock on wood, gone in here."

Arlo checks out a fire truck on Monday, June 16. Rob McGraw/Butler Eagle

Rob McGraw

When the firefighters union first proposed getting a dog, city officials were concerned with liabilities and training. To respond, firefighter Dave Greco and other members of the bureau came to the May 29 city council meeting to state their case.

After hearing Greco speak, council decided it would bring a memorandum of understanding between the city and union to a vote as soon as possible. That decision was made Thursday, June 12, when council voted 4-1 to allow Arlo to live at the station.

While Arlo still has a long way to go in terms of his training, the city's firefighters are excited to have a new friend at the station and to bring him to events when he is ready.

Matthew Wilson, trainer for Hounds of Honor, plays with Arlo as training will soon begin at the City of Butler fire station on Monday, June 16, 2025. Rob McGraw/Butler Eagle

Rob McGraw

New firedog Arlo with Matthew Wilson, left, Derek Thompson, Floyd Lohr and Dean Selfridge as training will soon begin at the City of Butler fire station on Monday, June 16, 2025. Rob McGraw/Butler Eagle

Rob McGraw

Arlo checks out a firetruck as training will soon begin at the City of Butler fire station on Monday, June 16, 2025. Rob McGraw/Butler Eagle

Rob McGraw

Arlo checks out a firetruck as training will soon begin at the City of Butler fire station on Monday, June 16, 2025. Rob McGraw/Butler Eagle

Rob McGraw

'We Will Miss Him Deeply': Fire Department In Texas Mourns Death Of Beloved Dog

Your browser is not supportedusatoday.Com

usatoday.Com wants to ensure the best experience for all of our readers, so we built our site to take advantage of the latest technology, making it faster and easier to use.

Unfortunately, your browser is not supported. Please download one of these browsers for the best experience on usatoday.Com

Beloved Firehouse Dog "Riggs" Dies After Being Struck By Vehicle, North Texas Fire Department Says

By Briauna Brown

Click here for updates on this story

    North Texas (KTVT) — A North Texas fire department is mourning after learning of the death of its beloved firehouse dog that went missing after a storm moved through the area last week.

The Midlothian Fire Department announced Tuesday that "Riggs", their station dog and companion, died after being struck by a vehicle.

The community, and many throughout North Texas, had been searching for the yellow lab-mix since he was reported missing on May 2 following a storm.

"While this is not the outcome we had hoped for, we are incredibly thankful for the overwhelming support from our community," Midlothian FD said in a social media post. "From those who helped search, shared posts, handed out flyers, made donation or simply kept Riggs in their thoughts – your kindness and compassion meant the world to us."

Remembering Riggs

Riggs had been a godsend to Midlothian Fire Station #1 after he was rescued three years ago.

CBS News Texas spoke with Midlothian Fire Chief Dale McCaskill who shared that the sweet pup was their family.

"He's always excited when they [firefighters] return back from a call. Anybody that owns a dog knows they meet you at the door with the same enthusiasm every time, and so that's been a relief for our firefighters after a stressful call."

Fire Captain Austin Ullrich echoed those sentiment saying Riggs was always laying with someone who needed it after having a tough day.

Missing after a storm

Firefighters last saw Riggs at Station #1 around 2:45 p.M. Friday, May 2, after a storm moved into the area.

A dog handler who owns a dog that tracks other dogs donated her time to search on Sunday, May 4. She tracked Riggs' scent from the fire station to about 200 yards away near Highway 287, and then it disappeared.

Midlothian initially offered a $1,000 reward in the search for Riggs before increasing it Monday, May 5, to $2,500.

After learning of Rigg's passing, Midlothian FD thanked everyone for standing with them in hopes of bringing Riggs home safe.

Please note: This content carries a strict local market embargo. If you share the same market as the contributor of this article, you may not use it on any platform.

---