‘I apologize for her biting you’ | Chihuahua owner thanks Houston firefighter after viral rescue

HOUSTON — A young chihuahua is safely at home with her family after a Houston firefighter jumped into Sims Bayou to rescue the pup Friday morning.

James Boyd told KHOU 11 that he is a seven-year veteran of the Houston Fire Department’s rescue team. He is based out of Fire Station 42 in east Houston and said the rescue team got the call to hep save a dog that was stuck on the base of a pedestrian bridge at Sims Bayou.

“We made the decision that it would probably be best to just put a swimmer in the water, and so being the rookie on the truck that day, I volunteered for it,” Boyd said.

Boyd said it was a first time saving an animal.

“I guess some people have cats in trees, and we have Chihuahuas in the bayou,” Boyd.

James Boyd with the Houston Fire Department said he hadn’t ever saved an animal before. The video went viral and the dog’s owner thanked Boyd.

Boyd said he used a lot of tactical gear – including gloves, a helmet and a body suit to protect him from the cold water and bacteria – when he went in the bayou. But the toughest thing about the rescue was actually dealing with Burbie the dog.

“She seemed to be very protective of her little pylon that she was on, and so, I was trying to inch closer, and I kind of talked to her, thinking that that might help or something,” Boyd said. “It kind of turned to a growl when I got closer, and I was like, ‘Oh yeah, the gloves might come in handy on this one.’ So, she did pinch my fingers a little bit, it wasn’t really bad. But I was glad it wasn’t an 80-pound Rottweiler.”

In a now-viral video, Burbie is seen showing her attitude and barking at Boyd, until she jumped into the water. Boyd was able to keep her above the surface and safely ushered Burbie to shore.

“This was just utilizing our swift water swimming training abilities for this purpose. Usually, we are rescuing people, but this time the citizens needed a dog saved,” Boyd said.

Burbie was reunited with her owner, Marissa Ortiz, the next day. Ortiz told KHOU 11 that she is beyond grateful Boyd safely and calmly helped Burbie get out of the water.

The dog was feisty when she was being rescued, but was in a much better mood when she was reunited with her family.

“He jumped in after her to save her. I cannot thank him enough for that. Because that’s scary. It’s very scary, so for him, I owe him a tremendous amount of gratitude because he jumped in to save my baby’s life. Not too many people would do that,” Ortiz said.

Ortiz said she only has one regret – that Burbie nipped at Boyd’s fingers.

“I apologize for her biting you. I genuinely apologize for that because it wasn’t her doing that with intention, it was her fight or flight moment,” Ortiz said.

Ortiz said Burbie left her home, which is not too far from Sims Bayou, last week. It was an agonizing few days without the Chihuahua, who Oritz said is more like a daughter to her.

“I see her as a part of the family, and with just those two, three days of being gone, it was like a part of my family was missing,” Ortiz said. “We never really thought that we would ever get her back. You know, people steal chihuahuas, sometimes they take them.”

Luckily, Boyd saved Burbie – and Burbie was unharmed during the rescue and during her days away from home.

“By the grace of God, she ended up coming out of it unscathed,” Ortiz said.

Ortiz said Burbie’s nails were a little scratched, mostly likely from trying to claw her way off the pedestrian bridge pylon, but they have since been clipped. She also said Burbie just got microchipped – in case she gets lost again.