In February, NorthWestern Energy Belt Town Manager Cody Yurek was conducting an annual maintenance patrol of the remote line when he discovered a large mass under a power line. He thought he stumbled upon an animal carcass in the -15-degree Fahrenheit, snowy weather. Then, he saw something wiggling.

“It turned out to be three shivering puppies, you could see the ground was thawed out where they had slept,” Yurek said. “I couldn’t just leave the little buggers.”

The husky-mix pups were healthy, but lost. Yurek coaxed the puppies into his warm vehicle and headed to town.

“I got them some dog food and water and then called the Belt Rural Volunteer Fire Department Chief Travis Johnson to ask for help finding their home,” Yurek said.

The puppies warmed up in an office at the fire hall. With the help of social media, they were reunited with their owner within an hour.

“The owner said she’d let the puppies out with an adult dog who returned without them,” Johnson said. “She was pretty darn happy to see them.”

Yurek has been the Belt town manager since 2010. The fire department often enlists his help to guide them to remote areas for backcountry rescues and other emergencies.

“He’s always hustling and I think this says a lot about him, how he took the time to round up three freezing puppies,” Johnson said.

Tags : People In Power, All