Against the odds, couple’s beloved dog survives apartment fire

MOUNTLAKE TERRACE — They lost just about everything they owned, but they still have Daisy Mae.

And to Laressa Sexton and Kyle Bernhardsen that’s really all that matters.

Their third-floor apartment was destroyed in a Sept. 12 fire that caused more than $500,000 damage to the Taluswood Apartments in Mountlake Terrace. The two-alarm blaze, which investigators believe was started by a smoldering cigarette butt in another unit, was contained to three apartments. Two others had smoke and water damage.

Bernhardsen, who works at the complex, saw the smoke and flames and immediately feared for the worst. He called Sexton at work to break the news and pleaded with firefighters to save the couple’s beloved dog.

“I was just in tears,” he said. “All I could see was just flames in our unit. I thought she was a goner for sure.”

Snohomish County Fire District 1 Capt. Chuck Maddox remembers his conversation with Bernhardsen that morning. He made no promises.

“I told him, ‘I’ll do my best,’ ” he said.

He could relate to Bernhardsen. “My dog is pretty important to me, too,” he said.

Both knew the odds were against Daisy Mae.

Maddox found the hound mix curled up on top of a bed, panting heavily and unresponsive. Daisy Mae always figured she was entitled to a comfortable perch and was partial to the bed.

Maddox scooped her up in a comforter and lugged her — all 63 pounds — out and down the stairs.

Medics placed an oxygen mask over Daisy Mae’s snout and told the couple to get her to an emergency veterinary clinic fast.

“She was just dead weight,” Bernhardsen said. “Nothing there.”

They lifted her into the bed of Bernhardsen’s pickup truck. Sexton kept the oxygen mask in place while petting her soft honey-brown coat on the way there. She also told Daisy Mae how much she loved her, but there was no sign the dog heard her.

A team ready with a stretcher greeted them outside the VCA Veterinary Specialty Center in Lynnwood.

They worked on Daisy Mae for more than an hour before they called the couple in.

They placed orange tubes in her nose to feed her oxygen. More tubes strapped to her legs pumped in liquids. A large plastic cone kept Daisy Mae from undoing their handiwork.

They were told the next 72 hours would be critical.

“It was kind of a miracle,” Sexton said.

It wasn’t Daisy Mae’s first close call.

Sexton, who grew up in Maltby, rescued her from a Humane Society kennel in Vero Beach, Florida, two years ago. She was told a the time that Daisy Mae’s owner had died, but it took many days for anyone to realize the dog was locked up in the home. By the time authorities eventually broke through the door, Daisy Mae was skin and bones.

Sexton adopted Daisy Mae for several reasons. She wanted an older dog that might prove harder to adopt out than a puppy. There also was her demeanor. While other dogs jumped and wriggled for attention, Daisy Mae sat solemnly with a patient grace. Sexton was powerless to resist her sweet eyes.

A few months later, Daisy Mae swallowed part of a chew toy, triggering an allergic reaction. She became lethargic and swelled up with hives before a veterinarian was able to treat her.

Sexton thought she might lose her new friend that day.

Daisy Mae’s most recent ordeal proved far more perilous.

Over Facebook, Sexton kept friends and family abreast.

Here are some posts:

Sept. 12: “Daisy Mae was rescued today from the fire by some wonderful firemen who even came to visit her in the doggy ER.”

Sept. 13: “Our stuff is replaceable but Daisy Mae is not.”

Sept. 14: “Daisy Mae is doing well and was taken off oxygen last night and is breathing on her own.”

Sept. 15: “It is so sad to hear her cough and each time she coughs you can smell a bit of fire.”

Perhaps the hardest part for Sexton was leaving Daisy Mae after a visit at the veterinary center. It was the first time she’d ever heard the dog cry. It was as though she were pleading with her to stay or take her home.

Daisy Mae received burns to the corneas in both eyes and thermal burns to her lungs. She also suffered from smoke inhalation and possible carbon monoxide poisoning.

The couple had four different types of prescription eye drops to give her and Daisy Mae was not a big fan.

Yet she seems quite content these days.

For now, her new home is a Lynnwood hotel where she still claims dibs on the king-sized bed.

Eric Stevick: 425-339-3446; stevick@heraldnet.com.

Talk to us

> Give us your news tips.

> Send us a letter to the editor.

> More Herald contact information.

More in Local News

Trader Joe’s customers walk in and out of the store on Monday, Nov. 20, 2023 in Everett, Washington. (Olivia Vanni / The Herald)
New Trader Joe’s opens this week at Everett Mall

It’s a short move from a longtime location, essentially across the street, where parking was often an adventure.

Ian Bramel-Allen enters a guilty plea to second-degree murder during a plea and sentencing hearing on Wednesday, March 6, 2024, at Snohomish County Superior Court in Everett, Washington. (Ryan Berry / The Herald)
‘Deep remorse’: Man gets 17 years for friend’s fatal stabbing in Edmonds

Ian Bramel-Allen, 44, pleaded guilty Wednesday to second-degree murder for killing Bret Northcutt last year at a WinCo.

Firefighters respond to a small RV and a motorhome fire on Tuesday afternoon in Marysville. (Provided by Snohomish County Fire Distrct 22)
1 injured after RV fire, explosion near Marysville

The cause of the fire in the 11600 block of 81st Avenue NE had not been determined, fire officials said.

Ashton Dedmon appears in court during his sentencing hearing on Tuesday, March 5, 2024, at Snohomish County Superior Court in Everett, Washington. (Ryan Berry / The Herald)
Everett Navy sailor sentenced to 90 days for fatal hit and run

Ashton Dedmon crashed into Joshua Kollman and drove away. Dedmon, a petty officer on the USS Kidd, reported he had a panic attack.

A kindergarten student works on a computer at Emerson Elementary School on Wednesday, Feb. 28, 2024, in Everett, Washington. (Ryan Berry / The Herald)
‘¡Una erupción!’: Dual language programs expanding to 10 local schools

A new bill aims to support 10 new programs each year statewide. In Snohomish County, most follow a 90-10 model of Spanish and English.

Cassie Franklin, Mayor of Everett, delivers the annual state of the city address Thursday morning in the Edward D. Hansen Conference Center in Everett, Washington on March 31, 2022.  (Kevin Clark / The Herald)
At Everett mayor’s keynote speech: $35 entry, Boeing sponsorship

The city won’t make any money from the event, city spokesperson Simone Tarver said. Still, it’s part of a trend making open government advocates wary.

Logo for news use featuring the Tulalip Indian Reservation in Snohomish County, Washington. 220118
Woman drives off cliff, dies on Tulalip Reservation

The woman fell 70 to 80 feet after driving off Priest Point Drive NW on Sunday afternoon.

Everett
Boy, 4, survives fall from Everett fourth-story apartment window

The child was being treated at Seattle Children’s. The city has a limited supply of window stops for low-income residents.

People head out to the water at low tide during an unseasonably warm day on Saturday, March 16, 2024, at Lighthouse Park in Mukilteo, Washington. (Ryan Berry / The Herald)
Everett shatters record high temperature by 11 degrees

On Saturday, it hit 73 degrees, breaking the previous record of 62 set in 2007.

Snohomish County Fire District #4 and Snohomish Regional Fire & Rescue respond to a motor vehicle collision for a car and pole. The driver was pronounced dead at the scene, near Triangle Bait & Tackle in Snohomish. (Snohomish County Sheriff’s Office)
Police: Troopers tried to stop driver before deadly crash in Snohomish

The man, 31, was driving at “a high rate of speed” when he crashed into a traffic light pole and died, investigators said.

Alan Dean, who is accused of the 1993 strangulation murder of 15-year-old Bothell girl Melissa Lee, appears in court during opening statements of his trial on Monday, March 18, 2024, at Snohomish County Superior Court in Everett, Washington. (Ryan Berry / The Herald)
31 years later, trial opens in Bothell teen’s brutal killing

In April 1993, Melissa Lee’s body was found below Edgewater Creek Bridge. It would take 27 years to arrest Alan Dean in her death.

Logo for news use featuring the municipality of Snohomish in Snohomish County, Washington. 220118
Man dies after crashing into pole in Snohomish

Just before 1 a.m., the driver crashed into a traffic light pole at the intersection of 2nd Street and Maple Avenue.

Support local journalism

If you value local news, make a gift now to support the trusted journalism you get in The Daily Herald. Donations processed in this system are not tax deductible.