SC firefighter adopts dog he posed with for calendar

By FireRescue1 Staff

CHARLESTON, S.C. — When a Charleston firefighter posed for an animal society calendar, he wasn’t expecting to meet his new best friend.

Rob Tackett posed shirtless with a German shepherd puppy, Kimber, for the Charleston Animal Society’s 2017 firefighter calendar, reported People.

Kimber and Tackett had an “instant connection,” and that the pup felt “safe with me,” Tackett said.

“Her owner and his wife told me she wouldn’t go around any guys. And when I first met her she curled up in my arms,” Tackett said.

Kimber’s owner, Steve Hall, is an Army veteran who suffers from PTSD. He adopted Kimber after finding her abandoned on the side of the road last winter. Hall said at the time, his therapy dog had died.

Following the calendar shoot, Hall and Tackett stayed in touch. Hall fell ill over the summer, and eventually asked Tackett if he would adopt Kimber. Kimber was formally adopted in October.

“I love that dog,” Tackett said. “She is an incredibly special dog, I’ve never been around a dog like her. Just being around her makes everything easier.”

As a certified PTSD therapy dog, Tackett said he looks forward to sharing Kimber with veterans.

In May of 2016, I was introduced to Kimber and her soldier, through the Charleston Animal Society’s “Charleston Firefighter Calendar.” Instantly, I knew that this dog was special. I saw the joy and the comfort that she brought her soldier. Kimber was abused, so she was understandably apprehensive around men. But for some reason, she was drawn to me. I carried her around the entire day, as she would rest her head on my shoulder. After the photoshoot was complete, I maintained a friendship with the soldier, and his family. They are incredibly special people, and I am privileged to have met them. Not too long ago, this soldier became ill, and his priorities had to shift. His family contacted me asking if I would be able to care for Kimber while he received treatment. Without hesitation I agreed to foster her for as long as they needed. Unfortunately, his illness and condition prevented him from caring for Kimber the way the he felt she deserved. So with a heavy heart, he decided that it would be best for Kimber to be with someone that would be able to care for her. Knowing how special Kimber was, he reached out to me asking if I would be able to permanently adopt her. Kimber knows exactly how to elicit smiles and joy, how to comfort, how to defend and how to protect. Kimber is a soldier’s dog. I plan on continuing to train her as a PTSD dog, with the intent to allow her to visit with other veterans, providing them with the same ferocious love that can only be given by this soulful German Shepherd. I often wonder, when little Kimber was brought to the Charleston Animal Society – abandoned and plagued by mange – if the volunteers knew what an impact she would have on the lives of soldiers throughout Charleston, SC. I wonder if they could tell that she was one of those dogs, blessed by God, to see through tragedy, straight to the vulnerable parts of all of us – the parts we so aptly hide from one another. I wonder if the donors, the calendar sponsors, the men and women who buy the Charleston Firefighter Calendars and the CAS staff knew that she would minister to the lives of so many.

A photo posted by Rob Tackett (@scbuckeye) on Dec 9, 2016 at 2:41pm PST