Dog who Almost Died in RV Fire Finds New Home

Puddles, a two-year-old Golden Retriever mix, has finally found a new home in Cypress after almost dying in a fire in a recreational vehicle that was purposely set and killed her owner, authorities said today.

Puddles first lost an owner when one of them had to seek treatment for a life-threatening illness out of state. Puddles the went to live with Thomas Taylor, 61, in his recreational vehicle in Long Beach, said Ana Bustilloz of the Society for the Preservation of Animals Los Angeles.

Taylor's motor home was parked in an alley behind a vacant business in the 500 block of West 17th Street near Magnolia Avenue in Long Beach, Bustilloz said.

The vehicle was intentionally set on fire last month as the result of a dispute. Three suspects were arrested in connection with the fire.

Puddles was found outside the vehicle as police were investigating the fire. She was put in the back of a firefighters' vehicle and ended up at the spcaLA. She was not seriously injured.

“She was totally fine. She wasn’t hurt. She didn’t have any smoke inhalation,” said Bustilloz. “She was just freaked out.” 

The apprehension is “understandable as she has been through so much, losing her home and companion and having that terrifying experience of the fire,” said Madeline Bernstein, president of spcaLA. “Now she can continue to recover in her new home.”

The spcaLA finds homes for more than 3,500 animals a year, Bernstein said.

--City News Service and Penny Arévalo