Oriental
veterinarian Sherri Hicks raised the bar for other veterinarians
Tuesday when she added to her list of services provided: Heroic
Endeavors.
Dr. Hicks, upon learning of a potentially catastrophic fire
on the property of one of her patients, Sparty Staub, a three-year
old German Shepherd, leapt into action and headed directly to
513 Broad St., the home of Donald and Selva Staub. At the time
Sparty was home alone while a fire raged on the property.
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The fire dept hoses down the blaze with the fire cannon
- this night shot was from the second time they had to
visit. (Donald Staub photo)
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The source
was a barn removal job gone awry. Donald Staub says "When
we left for our jobs in Morehead City Tuesday morning, I imagining
that the local handyman I had contracted to tear down and haul
away the crippled barn on the back of the property, would leave
a nice clearing for this summer's vegetable patch."
That's
not what happened.
A few hours
later they received simultaneous frantic calls from Dr. Hicks,
and local realtor, Marvin Bullock, notifying them that "either
the back of the house or the barn is on fire."
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Dr. Sherri Hicks at her office Wednesday morning (Ben
Casey photo)
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When the
Staubs told Sherri Hicks that Sparty was home alone, Doc Sherri
dropped the phone and made a bee-line for the house. She found
the doors locked, Sparty not in her pen, and a fire just yards
away. Sherri climbed into Sparty's pen and dove into the house
through the doggie-door to lead Sparty
to safety.
Sparty
was then brought back to the Veterinary Hospital. Sherri says
Sparty smelled of smoke but hadn't breathed much in. When TownDock.net
talked to Sherri Wednesday morning she was quite calm about
the whole thing, saying "the barn is gone, the house is
still there...and Sparty is just fine."
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Sparty shows the door where Dr. Hicks made her daring
rescue (Donald Staub photo)
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The Southeast
Pamlico Volunteer Fire Department battled the blaze twice Tuesday....once
in the morning and later that evening during a recurrent flare
up. This was a stubborn barn.
Donald
Staub was grateful for the departments efforts, adding "Fortunately,
the fire chief (Barry Beauchamp) was very understanding and
a good egg about the whole affair...as was his crew, particularly
when they got to use the fire cannon -- it appears that they
don't get to use it very often, and relished the opportunity."
Selva
Staub says "Sherri Hicks rose above and beyond the call
of duty to make sure that one of her patients was safe and sound
and out of harm's way." Donald Staub added "We asked
Sparty what she thought of Dr. Hicks, and Sparty nonchalantly
replied, 'I knew she was so much more than needles and heartworm
pills.'"
Sherri Hicks purchased the Oriental Village Veterinary Hospital
from Bob Moore in 2004. While both Doc Bob and Doc Sherri get
two thumbs up from the TownDock.net dog, Doc Sherri's arrival
may have been particularly well timed for Sparty. We're not sure
Bob would have fit through the dog door.
