FIREMEN have been praised for their swift actions after they pulled three greyhounds from a burning house and tenderly revived them.

Members of Bluewatch, based at Middlesbrough Fire Station, were alerted to the blaze by neighbours at Belle Vue Grove, in Middlesbrough. They arrived to find the house empty and well alight, with smoke streaming down the road.

On hearing that the family's beloved greyhounds were trapped inside, Station Officer Ron Carr sent in two men to rescue them. They battled through the smoke and choking fumes to identify the first dog and carry him out.

SO Carr said: "They found the first dog to the rear of the front door. It was flat out and had to be carried. We gave it oxygen, and very shortly afterwards the lads came out with the second animal, which was in just as bad a state.

"Its fur was singed and it couldn't walk, so we got it into the fresh air and gave it oxygen."

SO Carr said the last dog to be rescued, Tiny, was in the worst condition.

"When we got it out, it was actually dead, so again we gave it oxygen, and fireman Kevin Jones gave it heart massage," he said. "We were on for about 25 to 30 minutes trying to revive the dogs, and we called for a vet and the RSPCA."

While the rescue was taking place, the dogs' owner, Linda Harrison, arrived and was so distraught that she had to be treated by paramedics. SO Carr said: "The lady could hardly stand. She went into shock."

Thanks to the firemen's efforts, the dogs survived, and Tiny is now recovering at the Bridge Veterinary Hospital, in Middlesbrough.

SO Carr said: "At the end of the day, saving lives is what we are there for. We realise how important animals are to people, and the lady was delighted that the dogs were OK."

RSPCA Inspector Kevin Foy said: "It is thanks to the quick thinking and swift action of Bluewatch that these dogs are alive today."