DANVILLE, Ill. (WCIA) — The saying goes that cats have nine lives, but what about dogs?

First responders aren’t only responsible for rescuing people but also animals. One dog in Vermilion County has been saved not only once but twice. Now, his foster family is trying to find Rex a forever home.

The pup is about one year old, and a mixed breed. His story starts in March of 2024 when firefighters saved him from a house fire on the east side of Danville.

“We got to the cage, he was pretty much lifeless. He wasn’t breathing. We had to open the cage, pull him out, take him outside,” Matt Goodner, one of the responding firefighters, described.

Once the crew members had Rex out of the burning house, they checked him out, used an oxygen mask, and performed CPR.

“After about five or six minutes of doing that, his eyes started opening and his tongue started going back in his mouth,” Owen Bennett, another firefighter, said. “After about five more minutes, he started wagging his tail.”

That was the first time Rex was saved. The second time was in January 2025 after crew members saw a Vermilion County Animal Shelter Facebook post. Bennett saw the dog’s name was Rex and knew it was the same one from the fire last March.

Next thing you know, the Goodner family went to the shelter to see him. Now, they’re fostering Rex and giving him a third chance at life.

Kathleen Orcutt, the adoption manager at the county shelter, said that decision was a life-changing one. At one point, Rex was on a “code red” list, meaning he would possibly be euthanized.

“We thought we would have to make the decision to let him go for his mental wellbeing,” she explained.

The Goodners can’t keep him forever and are on a mission to find his forever family.

“He is the sweetest boy, he just wants attention,” Goodner said. “He’s cuddly, he loves to be pet, he loves to cuddle up with people.”

Rex is a four-legged miracle story and wants to be loved for the rest of his life.

“If he was to find a forever home and got to be one of those stories that we got to celebrate and do a before and after on, that would be absolutely awesome,” Orcutt said.

If you’re interested in adding him to your life, you can connect with the Vermilion County Animal Shelter through their Facebook page or website. If he’s not the one for you, there are plenty of other dogs and cats available.