-->“You think dogs will not be in Heaven?
I tell you, they will be there long before any of us.”

Robert Louis Stevenson


She was an abandoned street orphan
Who had wandered into the right place
She very quickly became a brave firedog
Over the last decade, many a fire she faced

She was initiated into the Firedog Fraternity
When she rushed into a particularly bad fire
She suffered smoke inhalation and was revived
Then, she was struck by a car and almost expired

But her brave firefighting comrades at Engine 116
Soon raised enough money for her needed surgery
Salty lived on at the firehouse, for many years after
Valiantly assisting her fireman friends, always on duty

She was also featured in a marvelous book about firedogs
Called ‘The Lives and Legends of Chicago’s Firehouse Dogs’
Brave old Salty recently passed on, and will be greatly missed
Yet one more example of the love, loyalty, and bravery of dogs

The many stories of Salty, The Firehouse Dog, will live on in the hearts of the many people who came to know her over the past decade. She was one of the far too many stray and homeless canines wandering our nation, who very fortunately wandered into the right place – a Chicago Firehouse - over 12 long years ago. She was immediately welcomed by the crew there, and Salty quickly made herself a new home at the firehouse. And over all the years following, Salty rarely missed a call to duty with her firefighting friends.

The long association of dogs with firehouses began back in England over 200 years ago. In those days of horse-drawn firefighting equipment, dogs were used to help calm their equine companions. Firehouse dogs also proved very useful as ratters, they very diligently protected firehouse equipment, and they helped save lives in fires - roles that many marvelous firehouse dogs still perform all around the world today.

R.I.P. Salty – You Will Be Greatly Missed.