Hero dog saves his person during Spokane wildfire

Shadow started out politely, but then he became insistent.

“He just started body-slamming against the back door,” says Donna Carberry of Spokane, Washington.

Donna went to see what her dog needed. Looking out the back door, she couldn’t believe her eyes: Her barn was up in flames, and fire was crawling up the stairs to her house. Before she knew it, “everything was on fire.”

She didn’t even have time to put on shoes. Donna scooped up her terrified cat, and the family headed out the front door toward safety.

Donna’s ordeal was just beginning. While trying to escape the fire, she fell and injured herself. Fortunately, some good Samaritans spotted her and helped her get to a safer area.

“They … sat me and the kitty and the puppy on the side of the road,” she says. “It was, of course, just pandemonium.”

Donna describes the next day as a total blur. Eventually, a resident evacuating her horses approached Donna and asked how long she’d been on the side of the road. “I said since noon on Saturday. Then she said, ‘Honey, it’s 8 o’clock on Sunday night.’”

The woman brought Donna and her pets to an emergency shelter, where they could finally rest and begin figuring out what came next.

There was a lot to take in. Donna had lost her home and two beloved horses in the fire. Her neighbor offered to care for her other horse and her cat. But with her injuries, who would care for Shadow?

Donna and Shadow are survivors of the Old Trails Fire, one of three major wildfires that devastated the Spokane area in August 2026. As soon as the severity of the fires became clear, Best Friends dispatched its emergency response team to work alongside local network partners to help people and pets fleeing the fires. Best Friends’ goal is for all shelters to reach no-kill, and that means working together with other animal welfare organizations to save pets’ lives on a day-to-day basis and also in emergency situations.

The state of Washington asked Best Friends to run animal emergency operations and to lead a task force of partner agencies. In the early days of the response, the focus was on evacuation and emergency sheltering. Best Friends collaborated with Spokane County Regional Animal Protection Service to make room for animals displaced by the fires. Adoptable pets who had already been in local shelters before the disaster were transferred to trusted partner organizations, freeing up space for pets who suddenly needed somewhere to go. As time passed and needs changed, the work shifted toward reunification, veterinary care, replacement supplies, and longer-term recovery support.

Pet Emergency and Disaster Preparedness Guide

Best Friends was there to help Donna and Shadow, too. 

Because of her injuries, Donna couldn’t care for Shadow on her own. So Best Friends took him in temporarily. In addition to outfitting Shadow with new pet supplies like a bed and a collar, Best Friends made sure he was neutered, microchipped, and up to date on vaccinations.

“Best Friends stepped up and stepped in and started taking care of Shadow for me,” says Donna. “By you taking care of him, you’re taking care of me.”

For now, Donna is keeping in close contact with Best Friends team members, many of whom have become close friends. When she’s well again, she’ll be reunited with Shadow for good.

Today, all that’s left of Donna’s house is a pile of ash and rubble, alongside a burned-out pickup and horse trailer where the driveway used to be. But that’s not what Donna is focused on.

“I don’t care about my stuff,” she says. “I just care about (Shadow).”

How to Help Pets in Natural Disasters

As she reaches over to scratch her best friend’s head, you can clearly see the trusting bond they share.

“This is my hero, Shadow,” she says.

“He literally saved my life.”

Our goal at Best Friends is to support all animal shelters in the U.S. in reaching no-kill. No-kill means saving every dog and cat in a shelter who can be saved, accounting for community safety and good quality of life for pets. 

Shelter staff can’t do it alone. Saving animals in shelters is everyone’s responsibility, and it takes support and participation from the community. No-kill is possible when we work together thoughtfully, honestly, and collaboratively.