NEWBURGH, N.Y. - Newburgh City Fire Department Lieutenant Timothy Dexter says Titus the puppy is lucky to be alive after being rescued from a fire back on August 3.
He was in the room where the fire originated, but firefighters weren't originally looking there, thinking nothing could have survived that room.
As they were about to leave, another fire lieutenant heard a puppy. When they flipped a bed, they found the animal.
Titus is believed to be a six to eight-week-old pit bull mix.
Firefighter James Moore says the owner didn't want the animal, so Moore made sure the puppy would get medical treatment.
The group Mutts and Muscles has helped raise funds to pay for the vet bills.
The dog seems to have a hold on the Newburgh City Fire Department, since Moore and Dexter adopted the puppy - even the department's dog took a liking to Titus.
But the pup still has a ways to go in the recovery process.
"He has very severe burns that we're trying to cover up and heal properly," Moore said. "But since he's a puppy, when he grows -- he'll be like 60 pounds -- they probably won't really be noticeable. They'll be like small burns at the time."