Pet of the week: Jack, the Golden Retriever helping Los Angeles fire evacuees amid devastating wildfires

Jack's owner, Victor Laveaga, is a retired fireman making a difference in his community.

Senior WriterLos Angeles

JANUARY 10, 2025 1:38 PM ESTJAN 10, 2025, 1:38 PM EST

First responders continue to work tirelessly to minimize the damage caused by the devastating wildfires in California. More than 200,000 residents of Los Angeles County have been ordered to evacuate their homes after the fire affected over 3,956 acres and destroyed multiple structures and historic buildings in Altadena and Pasadena.

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While the Los Angeles community continues to show resilience amid the difficult situation, an adorable hero brings hope to the evacuees. Jack, an 11-year-old Golden Retriever therapy dog for the Pasadena Fire Department, interacts with firefighters who return to base camp and with displaced families at the evacuation centers.

Jack's owner, Victor Laveaga, is a retired fireman making a difference in his community. "I'm very proud of Jack for him to bring some peace and some hope," Laveaga said to ABC News. "I'm so glad we're able to make a difference in the lives of these heroes cause we're not the heroes."

Laveaga retired after more than 30 years and explained to the publication that firefighters "have been working for 20-30 hours straight -- they're tired, they are absolutely beat up." "Petting the dog and hugging the dog, it starts bringing in those hormones like dopamine and some of those endorphins," he explained.

"There was one firefighter, his face was dirty with soot, the white of the eye was red from all the soot that was in the air," Laveaga detailed, "He came over and petted [Jack] then walked away and a few minutes later he came back -- got down on his knee to hug Jack around the neck, and then he started talking" and told his experience "on the fire line."

"One of the best therapies, honestly, for anybody that's gone through a critical incident, the act of talking it out," Laveaga added. "It took three times for him to come back to Jack. And I noticed that, and I thought, 'Oh God, thank you, Lord. We're making a difference, we're able to accomplish something here."

Laveaga told ABC News that he is very proud of Jack. "To see all those kids just smiling -- because they had been there in that evacuation center for at least 24 hours," he continued. "I'm so glad we're able to make a difference."