She
was this dog's best
friend.
A hero firefighter
came to the rescue
of a poor pooch
overcome by smoke
yesterday,
performing CPR on
the dog after it had
been rescued from a
burning Brooklyn
house.
Daina Mielnik, 26,
of Engine Co. 276,
pulled out all the
stops to render aid
to DT, saving the
toy terrier's life
after firefighters
pulled him from a
smoke-filled
second-story
apartment in
Flatlands at around
10:30 a.m.
"It was barely
breathing. I gave
the dog oxygen. It's
my first animal
rescue," she said.
"It made me feel
great. I love
animals. Everyone
hates to see an
animal in pain."
DT's owner, Aiesha
Cameron, and her
four children were
not at home at the
time of the
two-alarm blaze, but
the dog was stuck in
a cage in the East
35th Street
apartment.
He was taken to
Noah's Ark animal
clinic in critical
condition, but
doctors were
optimistic he would
pull through.
"He was brought in
unconscious, but now
he is responsive,"
Dr. Brian Abraham
said.
"We are monitoring
him and trying to do
what we can. I think
he's got a good
chance."
A fellow firefighter
credited Mielnik's
quick work with
helping bring a
happy ending to the
situation.
"Usually, they don't
make it," the
veteran said of pets
trapped inside
burning buildings.
Cameron said she was
relieved.
"Everyone is alive.
That's all that
matters. Even my
dog. Thank you,
Jesus," she said.
Mielnik joined the
department in 2005,
a year after winning
the women's title in
the White Castle
Kingsboro Arm
Wrestling
Championship.
Her sister, Kinga,
is also a
firefighter, making
them the only
sisters in the
department, and two
of just 33 women on
the FDNY payroll of
over 11,000.
And, she asked The
Post to point out,
she's single.
john.doyle@nypost.com
