http://tinleypark.patch.com/articles/tinley-park-shelter-collects-money-for-badly-burned-pup-who-survived-house-fire

Man Says 'There Aren't Words' to Thank PAWS and Others Who Saved His Badly Burned Pup

PAWS Animal Shelter in Tinley Park is soliciting donations to help pay medical bills for Ruff Ruff, a friendly puppy who was on fire while she ran from a burning home early New Year's Day.

 

Tom Zeilenga kicked off 2012 by watching every single one of his belongings collapse into a dismal pit of smoldering ashes.

Even though he was left without so much as a pair of socks, it didn't matter. The three most important aspects of the former Tinley Park resident's life—his beloved dogs—miraculously survived the tragic fire that devoured his Wilmington abode.

PAWS Animal Shelter in Tinley Park has now stepped up to foot the medical bills for one of Zeilenga's furry friends who was badly burned in the blaze. The shelter is accepting donations to help cover expenses for Ruff Ruff, an 8-month-old, once feral puppy who was on fire around 5:45 a.m. New Year's Day when she escaped the engulfed home.

The Red Catahoula Leopard was first taken to Animal Emergency of Mokena, then to Midwest Animal Hospital. She has most recently been treated at The Veterinary Clinic of Tinley Park, said a cheerful sounding Zeilenga Tuesday evening.

"The house really doesn't matter because you can make that again," he said. "I was so worried about my Ruff Ruff."

Zeilenga was in Chicago when the fire ignited in his home, according to reports. His neighbor, Steve Stachowiak, came to the dogs' rescue. Stachowiak lives two houses north of Zeilenga.

"I was awake and sitting at my computer … and I heard a strange popping sound," he said. "I looked out onto the river and saw an orange glow."

He found that one pup, Daisy, had darted through a doggy door and was outside the house, confined in a small pen. He lifted her over a fence and then began breaking windows and doors, thinking Zeilenga may be asleep. As he did so, a second dog, Izzy, ran through glass shards to safety.

But Ruff Ruff's exit wasn't quite as seamless. When she bolted out the patio door, she just kept running.

"The way we saw her come out of the house on fire, I didn't think she would survive," Stachowiak said. "… She was literally burning. It was terrible."

She ran up a hill and out of sight, which sent a neighborhood of do-gooders searching. 

"I just wish I could pay them back, all my neighbors who helped," Zeilenga said. "You see these people around and you say, 'hey,' but this happened and every one of 'em was out looking for Ruff Ruff, or bringing me bags of clothes. What fine people."

About five hours after the blaze, animal control officers got a call that a family

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Flying Pigs Roosters Horned Toe Lizards TCU Mascot
   
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