“She sat up on her haunches, looked up at us and we looked back at her and in about three minutes, she took over the place,” he said.
She became not only their mascot, but also the boss and queen of the fire station.
Smokey began every day by attending the morning roll call. Then she had her breakfast outside the kitchen door. Smokey wasn’t permitted in the kitchen or bedrooms.
If there was no official activity during the day, Smokey would play ball with the men on duty, guard the building and wait for food between naps under a truck.
This is her story.
Bravery
During her younger years, when a fire call came in, Smokey usually went along, taking her place on either the ladder or chemical truck.
Smokey had no fear of smoke, and once entered a small hotel that was up in flames. She awakened seven sleepers in rooms on the third floor by barking and scratching at their doors, possibly saving their lives.
While on the scene of a fire, Smokey liked to keep track of her men. On one occasion, Smokey was at a lumber yard fire and was found high up in the building, seemingly concerned about a firefighter from a different engine house.
There was another time that she climbed a ladder to be with her crew. Smokey could go up and down ladders with the best of them.
Bath time
Smokey was not a fan of baths. Whenever she heard the word “soap” or “bath,” she looked as if she had been insulted and would sulk, the firemen told the Dayton Daily News.
Fireman Clarence Dunkman was in charge of giving Smokey her baths. Even though she would try to run off and hide, she received a bath once a week.
Besides baths, the other thing Smokey genuinely disliked was police officers.
Unfortunately, the police station backed right up to the engine house and officers did visit on occasion. She was known to regularly snap at the men in blue.
Years go by
When Smokey’s career hit the 10-year mark in the mid-1940s, she was no longer making it a regular practice to ride along with the company to fires.
She did still enjoy going to the training grounds. Her favorite seat was in the aerial ladder truck, where she sat directly behind the driver.
At the engine house, 15 men were on duty at all times, with two shifts per day.
“The strangest thing about her is that she plays no favorites. She knows all of us and her bark of welcome is equally loud and happy for anyone who gives her a pat on the head,” said Capt. Murphy.
“You see,” he said, “she came to us asking for nothing an is trying so hard to repay any little kindness we do for her. Every man knows that Smokey would lay down her life for us. She tells us as much with her eyes every time she looks at us.”
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