Homeless from the time he was 13, this man from Georgia knew he had to do something when he saw an animal shelter on fire. With no one else running in to save the animals inside, he jumped into action.
The 53-year-old man, Keith Walker from Atlanta, Georgia, was out walking his dog named Bravo when he noticed the W-Underdogs Animal Shelter was in flames on December 18th. Knowing that that animals needed his help, he immediately went to their aid. He said:
“I was nervous as hell, I’m not going to lie. I was really scared to go in there with all that smoke — but God put me there to save those animals,” Walker, who has been homeless since he was just 13, told CNN.
“If you love a dog, you can love anyone in the world. My dog is my best friend, and I wouldn’t be here without him, so I knew I had to save all those other dogs.”
Because of his quick action, he was able to save all 6 dogs and 10 cats that were living inside the shelter when the kitchen caught on fire. Although the shelter was completely destroyed, the precious lives inside were spared. In fact, shelter staff is now calling him their guardian angel:
“He is my guardian angel,” W-Underdogs founder Grace Hamlin said. “Even the firefighters didn’t want to handle the dogs. They called animal control, but Keith was already in the building pulling out the cats and dogs until they were all safe.”
It turns out that Walker was familiar with the shelter because they allowed his dog to sleep there at night. There was no way they could have known that one day he’d repay their kindness by saving all their animals from a fire.
“I can’t thank him enough for saving my animals,” Hamlin said, posting a photo of Walker with an emotional caption to W-Underdogs’ Instagram. “I’m still in disbelief, because I’ve been around a fire and I know how fast they flare up. He is my hero.”
Despite the harshness of being homeless and the challenges that surely Walker faces, he acted with bravery, kindness, and compassion when he risked his own safety to save the shelter pets. He truly is a hero and saved many lives that night.
Let’s help give him the credit he deserves and share his story of selfless bravery far and wide. Please pass it along to all your animal loving family and friends.
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