Black Hawk College honors Sterling officers who rescued dog from house fire, used CPR to save dog’s life

STERLING – Two Sterling police officers have been honored for their heroic efforts when saving a dog from a house fire.

About 5 a.m. Dec. 31, 2023, the Bellows family was awakened by their dog, Shango, barking. That’s when they discovered their house was on fire. Four family members, including three children, escaped through the back door.

Officers Alex Kraus and Justin Hackbarth were the first to arrive.

“We didn’t have a whole lot of information, other than there was a house on fire,” Kraus said. “When we got there, we quickly learned the family had made it to the next-door neighbor’s house. We were just making sure they were all accounted for. I asked if anyone was still in the house, and they said everyone was out, but their dog was still inside.”

Despite the smoke and danger, the officers decided to try to save Shango.

“This was my first experience with a house fire of that magnitude,” Kraus said. “I’ve been involved in house fires, but nothing where you open the door and all you see is a blanket of smoke. But it’s true what they say about smoke rising. So, I got down on all fours and looked underneath the smoke, and I could see the dog maybe 5 to 8 feet inside.”

Kraus crawled to Shango, and pulled the canine out of the house and into the front yard, where he began instructing Hackbarth to perform CPR on the dog.

“I was dealing with a little smoke inhalation at the time, and through all my coughing, I was able to tell Officer Hackbarth what to do,” Kraus said. “He did an amazing job and was able to resuscitate the dog. I’ve been a CPR instructor for years, but the only reason I knew you could perform CPR on a dog was from a call for service a few years back.”

In recognition of the officers’ bravery, Black Hawk College in Moline awarded the officers during the fifth annual First Responders Appreciation Event and Criminal Justice Career Exploration Day on Nov. 1 at the Black Hawk College Quad-Cities Campus. Kraus received the First Responder Hero Award 2024, and Hackbarth was presented with a certificate of appreciation.

Black Hawk College invited community members to nominate first responders who are willing to risk their lives for others or who have devoted themselves to serving their communities. The college received 71 nominations for the 2024 First Responder Awards. Incidents or events that occurred 12 months before the nomination were considered.