A happy ending for a stray dog in Long Beach who finds home with a firefighter

For Long Beach firefighter Nick Marantz, adopting a puppy his colleague found on the shoulder of the 405 Freeway last week was a natural and familiar choice.

The 3-month-old black Labrador-pit bull mix named Kilo is the second dog he and his wife have taken in through fire department-related activity. The first dog, a now 3-year-old blond Yorkie-terrier mix named Khalipa, was surrendered at Fire Station 10 in July 2013 when she was only 3 weeks old and lacked teeth.

“My wife has always wanted a bigger dog,” Marantz said. “We checked [Kilo] out and she was extremely sweet. We’re excited to be able to have such a sweet dog.”

Kilo’s jouey began June 10 around 1 p.m. when a crew based out of Fire Station 18, including Marantz’ friend Brian VanderWal, was driving onto the 405 Freeway from Atlantic Avenue after transporting a patient to Long Beach Memorial Medical Center.

“My partner saw the dog on the shoulder,” VanderWal said. “I said pull over, let’s grab it.”

The puppy was shy at first but eventually came over to him, and they brought her back to the station, he said.

VanderWal knew he wanted to find the puppy a home so he started contacting his friends. Marantz was the first.

“She was extremely dirty and covered with fleas,” he said. “It was apparent that she was on the streets for a few days.”

Long Beach Animal Care Service persoel met them at Station 18, Marantz said. The puppy did not have a collar and wasn’t microchipped. They also posted to the “Lakewood and Long Beach Lost and Found Pets” Facebook page, checked local animal shelter and checked online databases but couldn’t find any matches.

Kilo got along with Khalipa and the decision was made — she would go home with Marantz.

For more on Kilo and Khalipa, follow them on Instagram: @kilogirlpup and @therealwizkhalipa.

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