TAYLOR MILL, Ky. — One week ago, a devastating fire tore through a Taylor Mill home and nearly claimed the lives of two dogs who lived there with their humans; now, those dogs have survived and are inspiring a new nonprofit.
“They've been my life,” said James Mcgaha, sitting on the grass next to his dogs Bo and TayTay.
Mcgaha was home with his mother and Khadijah Kubota when the fire broke out.
“Black smoke came above the kitchen door,” Kubota said. “I screamed, ‘Whoa! That's a big fire.'”
Everyone on two legs was able to evacuate safely, but Bo and TayTay were still inside the garage when fire began climbing the garage door.
“I looked at the sky and I said, ‘God, listen. Jesus, please, please help them to survive,'” Kubota said.
Their prayers were answered by angels closer to the ground: The Covington Fire Department's crews pulled the dogs from of the garage and quickly got them on oxygen.
“We’d seen it wiggle its tail,” said Barbara Mcgaha. “We knew that it revived it somewhat.”
But the dogs still needed emergency care after spending that much time in the smoky garage — care that was estimated to cost thousands of dollars.
“The place wouldn't even take them without something, money,” James said. “So Amy said, 'take my credit card.'”
He’s referring to Amy Schaefer, a captain with the Covington Fire Department who was on scene the night of the fire.
“When you get there and you see this, I have to make an effort,” she said. “I cannot leave these animals here.”
Schaefer said it can cost between $2,000 and $3,000 per dog for an initial 24-hours in a veterinary emergency room that's open around the clock.
“We have Red Cross for people with health insurance,” she said. “But unfortunately, right now, we don't have anything set up for furry family members.”
Schaefer has now set up a GoFundMe to raise money to help pets in similar situations.
She said she plans to use the initial funds to help pay for Bo and TayTay’s treatment, before expanding to others in need.
“To me, it's man's best friend,” she said. “They give us unconditional love and loyalty and I wanted to be able to repay that.”
Schaefer said she’s also working toward turning the fund into a full-blown nonprofit.
In the meantime, Mcgaha said he is eternally grateful to Schaefer and the dogs’ care team at Wards Corner Animal Hospital.
“They're by your side and if you don't have that, it's no different than losing a family member,” Mcgaha said.
He and his mother are now displaced indefinitely, but they see light in the dark knowing this fund will have an impact.
“Life is a life, whether it's the life of a person or if it's the life of an animal,” he said. “To help somebody else and be able to help them keep that unconditional love, yes, it's worth it.”
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