By Kim Dunlap
The Pharos-Tribune
CASS COUNTY, Ind. — Whenever visitors walk into the Cass County Fire District No. 1/New Waverly Fire Department building just off Water Street, they’re often greeted with a handshake and a smile, and the firefighters are nice too, of course. But for about the last six years, the department has also been home to one of man’s best friends.
It all started with firefighters Kyle Anderson and Rex Danely. Danely, CCFD’s fire chief, said they believed a dog would be the perfect fit for their little firehouse. So Danely, a self-proclaimed animal lover, knew just where to go.
They walked out the front door of the station and across the street to visit the Cass County Humane Society.
The society was pretty full that day, Danely remembered, and several dogs jumped up to greet the two men as they walked down the row of cages. But there was one calm puppy in particular that was just sitting back in the corner and taking in the situation.
“I said ‘right there is what we need,’” Danely remembered telling the humane society’s staff.
So the two men took the young pup back to the station, and they even gave it a firefighting themed name.
“There is a fire truck that has ladders on it,” Danely said. “It steers from the front and back to get down narrow streets. It’s called a tiller truck. Tiller didn’t sound like a really cute girl’s dog’s name, so we named her Tilley.”
And ever since that first day on the job, Tilley’s been a constant around the firehouse. Of course Danely said there were growing pains in the beginning, such as a chewed recliner, but Tilley has quickly grown into her role.
“She has full run of the station now,” Danely said. “She’s been a real member of our department.”
And because her home is the station, Tilley has many owners. But Danely said she seems to love all of them equally.
“When the firefighters are on shift, they’re there every other day,” he said. “When they go in and she sees them, it’s like she hasn’t seen them for years. They come in, and she’s the first one that greets them.”
And Tilley’s not only good with the firefighters, Danely said, but she just genuinely loves everyone.
“Everybody comes in to see Tilley,” he said. “I have five grandkids, and they just love her. If you’re standing there, and she leans against your leg, you’ve been accepted.”
These days, Tilley is a dog who loves her treats, her toys and nice long bouts of outdoor time in the sun. And her second-chance story from rescue dog to firehouse pet certainly put a smile on Lisa Clark’s face.
Clark is the executive director of the humane society, and she’s seen several stories like Tilley’s in her three and a half years with the organization. In fact, in 2016 alone, there have been more than 400 animals adopted from the humane society, which also gets adoption assistance from the fostering group A Cause for Paws. And since Clark has been the executive director, she estimates the number of adoptions has reached well into the thousands.
Clark said there’s something about rescue animals that is unique.
“As far as I’m concerned, a rescue dog is the best dog to get,” she said. “They’re more appreciative that you saved their lives.”
Clark, who has two rescue dogs herself, said that she wishes people would look to the humane society first when they’re in the process of searching for a new pet.
“They’re just normal and loving dogs,” she said. “We’ve got Boxers. We’ve got Pit Bulls. We’ve got those designer dogs.”
And when the day comes when those animals find their forever families, Clark said it warms her heart.
“The best part about my job is getting an animal that has been here for a while, and it goes to a good home,” she said. “I love to get pictures of successful adoptions.”
And one of those successful adoption stories is currently living right across the street.