Paul Rolly: Utah firefighter pays dogs' medical bills after I-15 crash

Karol Johnson, who volunteers for the Brigham City Animal Shelter, received a call July 2 requesting that she go to the scene of a serious accident on Interstate 15 that sent the driver to a hospital with numerous broken ribs.

Johnson was asked to transport three dogs that were in the car — a black Lab and two poodles — to nearby Canyon View Animal Health Center.

The decision to transport the animals was made when a Brigham City firefighter, who was assisting the driver, said he would pay for the veterinary care. The motorist was unresponsive, and family members couldn't be immediately reached.

After the driver was taken to the hospital, firefighter Tyler Petersen arrived at the pet clinic.

Johnson said one poodle had a broken pelvis and needed surgery. The dog wouldn't be able to walk for about six weeks.

The second poodle needed to be on oxygen for an undetermined amount of time, which is an expensive procedure. The driver's sons were considering putting that dog down until the firefighter said he would pay for the oxygen tank.

The black Lab did not appear to be seriously injured, but Petersen said he would pay for a cautionary X-ray.

Johnson said the medical bills for the three dogs had to easily approach $1,000. But Petersen willingly paid it out of his own pocket.

Two clinic employees, who came in to help that night after hours, said they would not charge for their time to make the final bill a little less.

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Officer friendly • The state liquor store at 205 W. 400 South usually has a uniformed off-duty Salt Lake City police officer on its premises as a contracted part-time employee of the Department of Alcoholic Beverage Control.

But one cop, who is the one most frequently at the store, is a multi-tasker. When a customer went to her car, the engine wouldn't start.

Out comes Officer Friendly, who promptly pulled his police cruiser, numbered 24052, next to her vehicle, pulled out some jumper cables and got the engine going again.

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Generosity jackpot • An elderly Salt Lake City woman named Beverly enjoyed an overnight stay with her daughter July 1 at Montego Bay in West Wendover, Nev. The next morning the two had breakfast at the Paradise Grill.

Beverly keeps some of her money in her sunglasses case for easy access and had a successful night at the casino the night before. She got out the case after breakfast to use some of her winnings for the breakfast tab and tip, then she and her daughter were on their way back to Salt Lake City.

When she got home, the case, which had contained about $400, was missing.

She called the casino and, lo and behold, someone had found the case and the money and had turned it in. She wanted to leave a small reward, but that honest soul had left no name nor contact information.

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Public's voice is heard • Ike and Carol Olson decided to sell their large, historic, 83-year-old Tudor-style home, whose architecture had been featured in national magazines, and move into something smaller with fewer stairs.

The elderly couple reluctantly agreed to an offer from a developer, who planned to demolish the Salt Lake City home, on the corner of 2100 East and 1700 South, and replace it with two or three smaller abodes.

When word got around, the neighbors weighed in. More than 70 people wrote the developer to protest the plans.

He listened, decided he didn't want to cause bad blood in the neighborhood and paid $10,000 to back out of the contract. The home later was sold to a couple who plan to preserve it.

prolly@sltrib.com