It was a close call for a dog named Max when fire raged through his Altadena neighborhood. The brindle-coated Corso mix hid, huddled and scared, under some bushes in his yard as the Eaton fire ravaged his street. Firefighters and photojournalists in the area could hear his terrified barks. As if the situation wasn’t dire enough, an explosion went off in a nearby garage.
The moments of his harrowing rescue were caught on camera in some of the most heartwarming photographs of the L.A. fires by freelance photojournalist Nic Coury, who was on the scene that day for the Associated Press.
Coury snapped a series of images of the scared dog amidst an inferno, seeking comfort from a firefighter. The photos captured the magnitude of the situation and the goodness in humanity that has come from it, and Max’s story of survival has tugged at the heartstrings of animal lovers worldwide.
Coury described the terrifying scene. “There was fire everywhere, embers flying, heavy winds. I was dealing with the elements while trying to focus on what would make for a compelling image. This was a quiet moment in the chaos.”
Coury watched as Max wandered the street as houses went up in flames around him, eventually approaching the kind firefighter, who fought a wall of out-of-control flames with a hose in his right hand as he petted the terrified dog with his left. “I watched as the firefighter was petting the dog and it was just this nice, quiet moment among all this chaos…that this firefighter would take a moment to comfort this scared dog. It just speaks to the humanity of it all. It was a nice moment against a sea of orange and smoke.”
Slater Lee, a firefighter who has only been with the San Marcos Fire Department for six months and is still on probationary status, heard Max’s cries for help and gained the scared dog’s trust with a few gentle pets on the head.
At the same time, freelance photographer Gabe Cortez was also on the scene. He knew he had to get Max out of there immediately. He refused to leave Max and stayed with him for an hour and a half until rescue came. He scrolled through his contacts from the animal rescue world, searching for help. When he came upon dog trainer Christopher Abkarian, who he had never met before, he texted him to inform him of this dog’s desperate circumstances.
Abkarian didn’t hesitate. He and his wife Sasha co-own the brand-new Whittier Dog Club, a training school for dogs and people wanting to learn how to train. They hadn’t even opened the doors to the facility when the fires started and decided to open early to accommodate dogs in need. Because of this, they had the space to take in dogs displaced from the fires and a Sprinter van to transport them. Not licensed for cats, their focus became taking in as many dogs as possible and boarding and training them for free.
Though Whittier Dog Club is currently serving as a rescue, it’s a small business that caters to dog training and boarding. They specialize in helping red-listed dogs at shelters and rehabilitate and train them to work with law enforcement and the military. Because of his experience, Abkarian knew he could handle a dog in this type of unpredictable situation.
Max’s rescue occurred on Wednesday, January 8, on the second day of the catastrophic inferno. Abkarian had already picked up two German Shepherds by the time the text from Cortez came in and he headed towards the fire. “I didn’t know what I was about to get myself into but as I got closer, it was devastating. There were black plumes of smoke and it looked like nighttime and it was 11:00 a.m.”
As Abkarian exited the freeway, he came upon a CHP blockade. He didn’t know how to get into the area. The sheriff told him he could park his car and walk to where Max was trapped. He ran three blocks to Cortez, who then guided him to Max’s yard.
“The whole area was covered in smoke and fire. Houses all down the street had burned down and there were also standing houses,” recalls Abkarian. “People were outside of their houses not knowing what to do and people were on their roofs with hoses. Gabe guided me to Max. The property was on a corner and Max was in the bushes, tucked away, next to the house. The moment I opened the gate to the yard, Max was so fearful. He lunged at me and I just stayed calm.”
It took a few tries and some crafty work with an extension cord from a string of Christmas lights and a slip lead, but the two men finally got Max. “Even though he was scared, I knew from working with so many dogs that this was not an aggressive or dominant dog. I knew this was a fearful dog.”
Both men were having trouble with the smoke. “Inhaling the air was hard; we were breathing black smoke. You can just imagine that this dog was in that scenario and he was completely disoriented. I finally lassoed him in and tightened up the slip lead and he gave me the wild bronco. He didn’t want to leave his home but as I pulled him out of the yard, there was a sign of relief and we walked to the end of the block. That’s when he started to calm down. He allowed me to start petting him. We had to walk three blocks back.”
Thankfully, Max wasn’t burned or injured in the commotion, and though he initially appeared to be a black dog, a bath a few days later washed away the soot and revealed his beautiful brindle coat. Veterinarian Dr. Kwane Stewart, who has donated his time to help Max and other animals displaced by the fires, estimates Max to be between five and six years old.
“Max has become a voice for the animals,” said Abkarian, acknowledging that he is one of thousands of animals impacted by the fires. In an interview at the new facility, he brought Max out to show off his training. Max is now a student in their program and doing extremely well. He couldn’t be a more loving, gentle, and playful dog. It’s a miracle after what he’s been through but this just shows the resilience of animals.
“If it wasn’t for Gabe, this dog wouldn’t have been saved,” Abkarian insists. “I feel like I was in the right place at the right time but it was Gabe who got me in the right place at the right time.”
If not for Coury’s images, the world wouldn’t have been able to see this beautiful moment in what has been a devastatingly painful week in Los Angeles as these cataclysmic fires wiped entire neighborhoods and historic landmarks from the map in the Pacific Palisades, Altadena, and throughout the city. It was a catastrophic perfect storm that Angelenos will never forget.
The numbers are staggering. The L.A. fires have so far burned more than 40,000 acres, destroyed more than 12,000 structures, and caused at least 24 deaths. And then there were the animals…lost pets, livestock in peril, and wild animals running from the mountains into neighborhoods.
We are the City of Angels, however, and we have come together to donate money, supplies, and time. In the last few days, many A-listers and billionaires have donated millions to relief and rebuilding efforts.
Even though many news watchers have focused on which celebrities lost their homes, it’s important to note that L.A. is also home to many middle-class and blue-collar workers who also lost everything a week after thousands of fire insurance policies expired.
Abkarian has received donations and offers to foster and adopt, including some falsely claiming to be Max’s owners. Cortez confirmed who the family was at the scene when a neighbor gave him their contact information and Abkarian and his wife have been in touch with them.
“I don’t know much about the family but from my experience as a trainer, dogs can easily get spooked by any noise, and unfortunately in this situation, the humans ran in one direction and Max ran in another,” explained Abkarian.
There are six displaced dogs from the fires at Whittier Dog Club, including two Malinois puppies that were rescued by firefighters from the Eaton fire. They’ve since been named Phoenix and Ash.
Regarding Whittier Dog Club, the Abkarians confirm their dedication to helping as many dogs through this crisis as possible and say they’re in it for the long haul.
“Our mission is to go out to the Pasadena Humane Society, which took 600 animals from the fires, and pick up five dogs every week and get them trained and adopted. We’re open to temporary housing for any displaced dogs for free for any evacuee,” confirmed Abkarian. “This gives us enough room to function as a business and help these animals.”
Here is a list of more ways you can help people and animals impacted by the Los Angeles fires.
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