Community rallies around dog who lost owner in house fire

NEW BERN, N.C. (WITN) - A dog in the east is recovering from severe burns after surviving a deadly house fire that killed its owner.

Like any ordinary dog, ‘Sport’ loves to sniff around and eat any treat in his vicinity. But his foster parent, Dr. Anyce Nagle, believes most beloved pets haven’t endured anything near the extent he has.

“I can’t say enough about him, Dr. Nagle said. “For everything he has been through, he started out with some pretty severe burns and his vision has not been great because of the damage to his eyes.”

The dog’s injuries were the result of a deadly house fire off Meadow street in New Bern back in December. The fire claimed the lives of 69-year-old Timothy Gibbons and 72-year-old Elizabeth Perry.

Neighbors say Sport was Gibbons’ dog.

Currently, the dog is living with Dr. Nagle and a few other little buddies to keep him company.

“He has remained the sweetest the dog,” Dr. Nagle said. “The more he comes out of his shell, he’s a total goofball who just wants to lay in your lap and cuddle.”

While Sport’s recovery progresses, his first medical bill was pricey.

“The initial visit to the emergency clinic is a little more than $3,000. He’s still on multiple medications and he’s receiving medication three times a day,” Nagle said.

But thankfully the community rallied behind him, raising more than $5,000.

He’ll most likely have several more treatments soon.

Dr. Nagle says it’ll be a long road to when he’ll be eligible for adoption.

“That should be between six to twelve months and hopefully he should have a home,” Dr. Nagle said.

If you would like to donate to Sport’s medical bills, click here.

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