Dog Survives Entire Month in Burned Out House

When Terisa Acevedo’s house burned down, it wasn’t the loss of her belongings that broke her heart – it was the loss of her one year old Dachshund, Lola. Acevedo was sure that Lola had either burned to death in the fire, or had escaped and was wandering, lost, in her Hyde Park, Massachusetts neighborhood. In the freezing cold February weather, that would have been a death sentence for a little dog like Lola.

From CBS Boston:

Acevedo hadn’t seen her dog Lola since the fire on February 23. But, while returning to pick up some belongings Monday, she made a stunning find.

“We thought it was raccoon or something in the house,” Acevedo said.

But she soon figured out, that scratching sound was coming from Lola, her long-haired Dachshund.

Somehow, Lola survived not only the fire, but four weeks that followed, while locked inside that abandoned home.

Doctors think she managed by drinking toilet water and eating scraps she found around the burned-out house.

“She probably was eating something in there,” said Dr. Megan Whelan, who has been treating Lola. “There’s some material on her x-rays, mineral-like material. So, she might have been getting into something in the house.”

That stretch included several nights of sub-freezing temperatures.

Acevedo immediately took the pup to Angell Animal Medical Center, where doctors went to work.

“Lola was brought to (us) last night and is currently being cared for in our Emergency/Critical Care Unit,” said MSPCA-Angell spokesman Brian Adams. “The veterinary team is performing several tests today to uncover the extent of her injuries. Lola remains upbeat given her ordeal.”

As of Tuesday, the dog appeared to be recovering. She was expected to spend one more night in the hospital before heading home.

Acevedo was just overjoyed to have her pup back. “I’m never going to tell her no ever again. You want a treat? Here you go. You want to go out? Yes, sure. I’ll go out with you right now.”