Rescue heroes: City employees help save abandoned dog
Published on October 29, 2023
Friday the 13th was a very lucky day for a homeless pooch at Fort Woof.
All thanks, in large part, to the quick and kindhearted actions of Code Compliance animal control officer Reid Koenig and Park & Recreation Department field operations crew leader Will Pemberton, greenhouse attendant Adrian Bustamante and greenhouse maintenance worker Gabriel Almanza.
Pemberton leads the Park & Recreation Community Tree Planting Program. That afternoon, he was working at Fort Woof, the City’s 5-acre, off-leash dog park in Gateway Park.
“I was approached by several residents who notified me that a medium-size, non-aggressive male dog was dropped off by an individual in a white pickup truck inside the small dog enclosure,” Pemberton said. The dog was wounded, with visible signs of neglect.
Pemberton, Bustamante and Almanza secured the scared canine in a fenced enclosure, gave him water and gently calmed him down. Then Pemberton grabbed his phone, took photos and uploaded them to the MyFW app; he also called the City Call Center.
The call was assigned to Officer Koenig, who drove to the park but couldn’t find the dog. Koenig called Pemberton that evening to let him know the search had been unsuccessful.
Turns out, Pemberton had happy news to share.
“I told him a husband and wife who were at the park were very emotionally affected by the poor condition of the dog and within the hour decided to take him to their vet for urgent medical treatment,” Pemberton said.
Koenig had more good news for Pemberton: The couple also said they planned to adopt the dog.
“Officer Koenig was very polite, professional and informative,” Pemberton said of their phone conversation. “I learned a great deal of information, including to always provide a detailed description of an animal’s health condition to the Call Center to ensure an even quicker response from Animal Control officers, especially if the animal’s welfare is poor.”
A self-professed animal person who’s served with the City for 29 years, Pemberton gives huge kudos to Koenig for his compassion and communication.
“I have a rescue cat and a rescue dog, so it’s is very important to me that all animals are treated with kindness and ensured proper care,” Pemberton said. “Thank you to Officer Koenig for checking to see if the dog was still at the park, taking the time to call me and representing the City of Fort Worth so well. We both agreed the dog will have a better home now because of the outstanding residents I had the pleasure of meeting with at Fort Woof.”
Photo: City staffers united to rescue the animal, who was dumped at the dog park.