A Rutherford County dog is still alive Monday night thanks to the heroic efforts of a deputy who performed CPR on the pet after it fell unconscious during a house fire.

It happened last Wednesday at Pam and Tim Curray’s home in Lascassas after an electrical fire filled it with thick, black smoke.

Their five-year-old Bichon Frise Abby got trapped inside near the pantry.

Pam Curray, a seventh grade science teacher at Oakland Middle School, said their first thoughts were to save Abby, who they consider a third child.

Sgt. Jon Levi was in the area at the time of the fire and first to arrive at the home.

After a family member asked if Abby had gotten out safe, the veteran officer went into action, going inside the smoke-filled home to rescue the dog.

Stg. Levi said  he called out for the dog but got no response. He ultimately used his flashlight to find her unconscious in her kennel.

“I just reached in and grabbed the dog and got the dog out and it was not breathing,” he explained.

He carried Abby outside and began giving it mouth-to-mouth CPR, blowing air in Abby’s snout in hopes of reviving her.

“Grabbed it by its muzzle and breathed into it a couple of times, and I felt it tape a gasp of air,”

After a few puffs, he was able to bring the dog back to life.

“It was good. It was neat,” he said of how it felt. “To be honest with you, my first reaction was, ‘Wow. It worked.’”

Sgt. Levi said he didn’t know what to do, but he knew he had to do something. Luckily for him, giving a CPR through an animal’s snout is exactly what the American Society for the Prevention of Cruelty to Animals(ASCPA) says to do.

Curray reunited with Sgt. Levi Monday at Oakland Middle School with Abby by her side.

It was the first reunion between the hero and animal he saved.

“He didn’t have to do what he did, but God placed him there at the right time,” Curray said. “At the right place to do what he does, and I am forever grateful for that.”

As a token of appreciation, Curray gave Sgt. Levi a cash donation for his mounted patrol fund, which is subsidized through donations to the Rutherford County Sheriff’s Office.

Besides a raspy cough, Abby is doing just fine. She’s expected to make a full recovery.

The family is currently staying with relatives until their home is fixed from the damage.  (WKRN)