‘A light in a pretty dark moment’: Ketchikan couple reflects on dog rescue a week after landslide

2 weeks ago

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Ketchikan has been done a challenging mates of weeks since Aug. 25, erstwhile a landslide tore done a residential neighborhood, sidesplitting a man and destroying 3 homes. One of those homes belonged to Bill and James Montiver, who escaped pinch only insignificant injuries.

Their 2 beloved dogs, however, didn’t make it out. James and Bill feared nan worst — until astir a week later, erstwhile a occurrence unit pulled nan pups from nan wreckage unscathed. The Montivers sat down pinch KRBD’s Michael Fanelli to talk astir what it’s for illustration to person Cassie and Alani backmost successful their laps.

This question and reply has been lightly edited for magnitude and clarity.

Michael Fanelli: So I conjecture first of all, what’s it for illustration to person your dogs backmost pinch you?

James Montiver: Oh, it was an astonishing moment. (Ketchikan Fire Chief) Rick Hines had been done nan location a mates days earlier and had walked done nan full house, aliases crawled done it, and they ne'er made a sound. He didn’t moreover cognize they were location and he was location for complete an hour. And past connected Saturday, we had beautiful overmuch made nan solution that they either had escaped and were wandering successful nan never-never onshore aliases thing had happened, and we fundamentally said our soul goodbyes. But past Sunday morning, erstwhile nan telephone rang and nan excitement, you could tell, it was conscionable electrical coming done nan phone. It was virtually nighttime and time to get nan kids back, because it was a agleam spot, not only successful our life, but successful nan full community. Everybody has been truthful uplifted by nan truth that these 2 small dogs were location for almost a week and person travel retired virtually (unharmed), different than a small PTSD, they’re still a small shock-shy. But they’ve travel retired fundamentally successful astonishing condition.

MF: Yeah, arsenic you’re telling that — you can’t not smile.

JM: I deliberation it affected everybody, because it was a ray successful a beautiful acheronian infinitesimal for everybody. I mean, those of america that person mislaid perfectly everything and and those that were impacted successful 1 measurement aliases another, because location are a batch of different group that were impacted, but it was a affirmative infinitesimal for each of us, and very uplifting. I can’t show you really galore group we’ve talked to that that cried erstwhile they saw nan study connected nan news. And nan firefighters that were there, they were each conscionable ecstatic themselves. You could spot grins from receptor to ear. It was a very, very uplifting infinitesimal for everybody.

MF: Yeah, it’s incredible. So you’re benignant of section celebrities now too. You were on ABC pinch David Muir last night, what was that like?

JM: We’ve done NBC, ABC, ABC, CNN —

Bill Montiver: Multiple interviews pinch (Alaska’s News Source) successful Anchorage.

JM: It’s been very bully and very uplifting for america astatine nan aforesaid time, because we cognize we’re very blessed first of all, that some of america made it retired of location alive. Because if you look astatine nan house, it utilized to beryllium a 3 communicative house, and now it’s a very bully pancake. And nan truth that we some made it retired of location was our first blessing, and past to get nan dogs was different one.

BM: The extracurricular of nan house, group that person driven by aliases been by, it looks for illustration a two-story home. However, nan 2nd level crushed into nan first floor, which crushed into wherever nan basement utilized to be, because it slid disconnected of nan foundation. And I was really trapped underground, astir six feet under, pinch 2 different floors sitting connected apical of me. And nan only point that saved maine was nan dishwasher from Bosch. We person to propulsion that in, only because it’s our favourite (appliance). And nan occurrence group really had to trim maine retired to get maine out.

MF: Oh, wow, yea I was going to inquire what nan process of getting retired was like.

JM: So luckily, erstwhile nan ceiling collapsed successful connected me, I had been connected nan sofa. And nan location sounded forward, which threw maine disconnected of nan sofa into nan ceiling. And that’s wherever I dislocated my shoulder, tore each nan tendons and cracked a mates of ribs. But I was okay because I landed connected nan level successful beforehand of nan sofa and nan sofa acted arsenic a wedge betwixt nan ceiling and nan floor. So it gave maine an 18-inch clearance abstraction there. But that’s nan aforesaid sofa that nan dogs were connected astatine nan different end, and that’s wherever they recovered them. I was capable to crawl out. I could spot daylight, and truthful it took maine a small while because of my shoulder, but it took maine astir 20 minutes to get out. But we’re okay. It’s not rather nan position we want to beryllium successful astatine this property successful our life, but we’re live and that’s what’s important.

MF: So you guys were conscionable hanging retired astatine location erstwhile this happened, having a emblematic Sunday?

JM: Actually, we had conscionable packed our past box. Our location was sold. We were moving to Puerto Rico connected Monday, this past Monday. We had conscionable packed nan very past box, fresh for AML to prime everything up connected Monday. And I was stepping up nan stairs, and I told Bill, I said, “You know, I’m really gonna miss this house. I really emotion it.” And 20 minutes later, each heck collapsed loose. I mean, we had perfectly nary idea. So virtually everything successful our life is now gone. We didn’t moreover make it retired pinch shoes on.

MF: Well, getting backmost to nan dogs, to extremity connected a happier note, erstwhile I first heard this I thought, “How do dogs past for a week?”

JM: We person nary idea. Even nan vet —

BM: We asked nan vet nan aforesaid question.

JM: She’s nan best, Island to Island, they’re conscionable wonderful, and they’ve taken attraction of our dogs nan full clip we’ve lived here. And she was amazed. She said nan aforesaid thing. I mean, they’ve mislaid a mates of pounds each. They’re little, mini dogs — they only measurement 10, 12 pounds anyway. They had each mislaid 2 pounds, but I mean they were moving around, they were pleasant, they were fun, they weren’t cowering aliases thing for illustration that.

MF: They must person been hungry.

JM: They were.

MF: But different successful bully health?

JM: Oh, fantabulous health.

MF: That’s great. Well acknowledgment truthful overmuch for taking nan clip to talk today, guys. I really admit it.

JM: You’re welcome.

BM: Certainly.

The Montivers person a GoFundMe account as good arsenic a disaster alleviation relationship astatine First Bank. The Ketchikan Gateway Borough has compiled a list of donation accounts and ways to thief residents affected by nan Aug. 25 landslide.