Nicole Higgins DeSmet

Free Press Staff Writer

Firefighters rescued a small dog on Thursday afternoon from an escalator in Burlington Town Center.

The dog, a papillon named Sammy, is fine. Owner Todd Lantagne of Burlington reports the pooch needed surgery to remove one toe, but will make a full recovery.

City firefighters, according to Capt. Derek Libby, pulled a pressure plate off the escalator's top step, quickly unscrewing it, to extract the dog from the teeth of the plate. However, the animal's paw was seriously entangled. They quickly determined to keep dog and plate together until a veterinarian could safely separate the two. They splinted the dog's limb onsite to transport it without further harm.

Libby offered that people with dogs might use the stairs instead of the escalator to prevent accidents.

Don Sinex, owner of the mall, told the Free Press Friday that he will ask management to put warning signs up near the escalators to prevent future incidents in the dog-friendly shopping area.

"It's a very unfortunate accident. We're going to help this little guy out," Sinex said explaining that he will pay for the dog's surgery.

Lantagne said he was awake all night worried about Sammy, but he expressed his gratitude for the emergency responders and the generosity of Sinex.

This was first posted Sept. 30, 2016. Contact Nicole Higgins DeSmet at ndesmet@freepressmedia.com or 802-660-1845. Follow her on Twitter @NicoleHDeSmet.

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