Sonoma Valley firefighters rescue dog stuck in tree

A small dog was rescued by Sonoma Valley firefighters Tuesday night after he chased a squirrel about 14 feet up a tree and got stuck there.

Capt. Mike Bruno said he and other firefighters were headed out for dinner on Tuesday when they got a call that a dog was stuck in a tree.

"What did they just say?" he recalled asking the firefighter beside him. "I've worked this job 37 years and this is the first dog I've seen in a tree."

The firefighters responded to the call in the George Ranch Subdivision outside Sonoma and met a woman who took them to the tree where the dog was stuck, Bruno said.

The apparent poodle mix, weighing about 20 pounds, was high up in an oak tree, Bruno said.

Firefighter Ryan McCracken climbed a 14-foot ladder to reach the dog, who started whimpering when he saw McCracken approaching, Bruno said. Then the dog walked to McCracken, who was able to safely get the dog down and return the pet to its owner.

"He was licking everybody in sight," Bruno said of the dog after it was rescued.