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| Westland Arson Dog Bella |
During the Blues, Brews and BBQ festival in Westland last weekend a 4-year-old child was injured by the golf cart in which Bella was stationed by her partner and handler Capt. Jeff Stobbe.
The always obedient Bella jumped from the golf cart seat to the floor of the vehicle and in doing so, laid across the accelerator pedal. The cart began to move forward and struck the 4-year-old before firefighters could reach the vehicle to disengage the gear.
“Unfortunately, before firefighters could bring the cart to a stop and remove the key from the vehicle, it struck a 4-year-old girl and the passenger side front tire ran over her left leg,” according to a prepared statement from the fire department.
Paramedics at the scene immediately assessed the child for injuries, according to a spokesman, and while the child was visibly shaken, she had no obvious injuries. The mother of the child refused any further medical treatment or transport to an emergency room, according to the statement.
Bella is a 7-year-old Labrador Retriever. She is a certified arson detection canine, and was the first Arson Dog in Western Wayne County. Her work at fire scenes has been lauded as heroic by fire officials several times. Bella is also used for fire safety instruction programs in Wayne Westland schools.
Bella was not injured in the incident, according to official reports.
