Local firefighters, paramedics and EMTs are often put in situations where they must save human lives and property, but firefighters were put in a more unique situation Tuesday morning.

Simply put, Marley owes his life to firefighters.

It bears explanation that Marley is a sandy-colored small dog with one ear that points up and one that points down. Marley was found unresponsive in a home that caught fire shortly before noon.

Athens Fire & Rescue Service responded to a home in the 19000 block of Huntsville-Browns Ferry Road. Although the address is outside of the city limits, Athens Fire responded as mutual aid for Tanner and South Limestone volunteer fire departments.

Firefighters ensured everyone was out of the home, but one of the homeowners then asked, “Did you find my dog?”

“At that point, the guys went back into the house,” said Bryan Thornton, chief of Athens Fire & Rescue Service.

It was firefighters Coty Collins and Chuck Talley who went back inside in search of Marley. Talley felt around for the dog and found an unresponsive Marley.

They then rushed the dog outside, where it was tended to by others on the crew, including Mike Brown and Ben Clark. Firefighters put a dog-sized oxygen mask on Marley’s little face and began pushing on his chest.

It was then Marley began to slowly open his eyes and blink before sitting up. He was then showered with affection by his family. (Video of the dramatic rescue can be watched at enewscourier.com.)

“We are glad this had a happy ending because at first, Marley was not moving,” Thornton said. “The guys did an amazing job. They had a good response and knocked the fire down quick.”

The chief said the house was not a total loss but did sustain heavy fire and smoke damage in one bedroom and some smoke damage throughout the rest of the house.

— City of Athens grant coordinator and communications specialist Holly Hollman contributed to this report.