Pet owner who lost home in Palisades fire overwhelmed when reunited with lost dog

On By Littum

Heartwarming video shows the moment a California man who lost his home in the Palisades fire is reunited with the dog he feared had been killed and is overcome with emotion as it runs into his arms.

Casey Colvin was filmed spotting his missing dog Oreo through a neighbour’s gate, then sobbed as it finally jumped into his arms.

“Oh, baby! Oh my God, you’re alive! You’re alive!” Colvin cries through tears as he holds Oreo high in his arms and cheers.

California dog owner Casey Colvin was moved to tears after being reunited with his dog Oreo, who escaped during the Palisades fire. @LizKreutzNews/X

Overwhelmed, Colvin ran in circles, pumping his arms in the air with joy and shouting, “Yes! Oh, thank you, Jesus! Thank you, God!”

Colvin was at work when he was ordered to evacuate his home – then spent five hours in traffic desperately trying to save his dogs, Oreo and Tika Tika Tika, he told NBC Los Angeles.

“I literally rescued them off the streets, they deserve better than this,” a sobbing Colvin told reporter Liz Kreutz as he sat in stalled traffic. “How do I get to my house?”

When Colvin was unable to return home, a firefighter offered to look for his dogs. While the fireman was able to save Tika Tika Tika, Oreo ventured into the neighborhood.

Soon after, his home burned to the ground. Despite the loss, Colvin remained determined to find Oreo, posting a flyer of the missing dog online and using an AirTag he had on the pet to try to locate him.

Oreo hid in the rubble of a neighbor’s house after Colvin’s home burned down. @LizKreutzNews/X

On Jan. 12, Kreutz shared an update on the search effort. Colvin said Oreo had been spotted twice, and in one instance was “seen sleeping in the rubble of a neighbor’s home.”

After returning to what was left of his home with a professional dog catcher, Colvin finally found Oreo hidden amid the dirt and debris left behind after the fire.

Colvin rushed home to try to save Oreo, but was unable to get to his house before it burned down. @LizKreutzNews/X
The emotional video shows Colvin sobbing and cheering as he bounces around the street with Oreo on his shoulder. @LizKreutzNews/X

The heartwarming reunion, captured by NBC, shows Colvin coaxing the frightened dog out of the rubble and down his neighbor’s driveway.

The Palisades and Eaton fires remained out of control Monday morning, nearly a week since they began tearing through Los Angeles County, killing at least 24 people and displacing nearly 200,000.

At least 39,000 acres of land (61 square miles) have been burned and as many as 10,000 structures have been destroyed.