Latest Postings

TCBA announces nominated slate of officers for... ( Megan Machiela (Regan Communications Group) )
South Indian River Fishing Report ( Captain Charlie Conner )
PSL Pirates Dominate ( Jeff Miret )
Two members of Treasure Coast Builders Assoc... ( Megan Machiela (Regan Communications Group) )
Ordinary people save SUPERMAN ( "Capt Joel" Kilmer - Big Dog Comics )

share a story | more postings »

YourHub.com \\ Port St Lucie \\ Stories \\ News \\ General News

Buddy And Family Get Help After Blaze

e-mail to a friend | print this | link to this

NEXT › ‹ PREVIOUS

Contributed by: Andrea Nicholson on 5/20/2008

He may not be back home yet, but Buddy the Basset Hound can sleep a little easier tonight-thanks to PetSmart Charities.
Buddy's owners, Allen and Brenda Civita lost their Palm Bay home the day after Mother's Day to a wildfire which has, to date, ravaged more than 15,000 acres in Brevard County. "We lost everything," said Civita, a Fire Medic/Flight Medic with the St. Lucie County Fire District.
Civita explained that on Monday, around 2 pm, his wife received a call at work, warning that their home was in danger. Fifteen minutes later, Civita learned that his house was a total loss. Fortunately, the Civitas' four children were not at home, and Buddy was rescued by Brenda's brother before the blaze began.
Micco Fire Department Deputy Chief Harry Jones decided to reach out to the community to assist the Civita family, and one of the calls he made was to Vero Beach PetSmart's Assistant Manager Megan Broomfield. She, in turn, contacted PetSmart Charities, which agreed to donate a "shopping spree" for Buddy. Since PetSmart Charities cannot donate to an individual, Dogs & Cats Forever No Kill Shelter, from Port St. Lucie, accepted the donation and passed it on to Civita.
On Sunday, Civita and his two daughters, Dakota and Veronica, filled more than two shopping carts with food, toys, treats, beds, and other doggie delights for Buddy, who is currently staying with Brenda Civita's family. The girls even picked out a pair of betta fish to replace "Speedy Jr.," a turtle lost in the fire.
On hand to assist were Deputy Chief Jones, as well as Micco Fire Department Captian Keith Sims. Sims explained that more than 300 homes have been destroyed in southern Brevard County by the "Mother's Day Fires," which have been fueled by dry conditions and high winds.
Civita, a 20 year veteran firefighter, expressed his gratitude not only to PetSmart and other organizations in St. Lucie, Indian River, and Brevard County who have assisted his family, but also to the firefighters who responded to his home the day of the fire.

[Report this as objectionable content.]

SUBMIT COMMENT

Rate the above story