Rescue pups heading home to Mich. comfort passengers during Seattle airport emergency

(WJBK) - Steve Heim was on a dog rescue mission in Seattle last week, when he was interrupted by an airport emergency that made national headlines. Heim was about to fly back to Detroit with nine rescued puppies when they got the news.

Friday night, before Heim's flight, an airplane employee stole a small passenger plane. The incident canceled hundreds of flights and brought the airport to a grinding halt. Heim, who is a Southwest Airlines Employee, along with thousands of other stranded passengers had no idea what was happening. 

“People were crying, people were hollering,” he says.

These newly-rescued Spanish Greyhounds soon became the rescuers, though, as the worried passengers began to learn the seriousness of the situation. 

“Before you know it, there were 10 people, and the puppies were all coming out and they were all being quiet, and they were all being held, there was 20 people,” Heim says. The dogs did their job making a scary situation bearable.

“Everybody forgot why they were there at that moment and how they were stuck overnight. Everyone was happy, and the kids, I was just extremely happy just to see the smiles on everyone’s face,” he says.

They're now in the care of veterinarians at Serenity Animal Hospital in Sterling Heights, who helps fund these rescue trips. Dr. Karen Michalski of Serenity Veterinary hospital funded this rescue mission to get the Spanish Greyhounds out of Seattle. This is just one of many rescue efforts by the doctor. The dogs are being vetted before they find their forever homes in Metro Detroit. 

“I might have rescued them but they rescued everyone that night,” Heim says.

The dogs will be up for adoption later this month. There is an adoption event at Serenity Animal Hospital on August 26th and you can also donate to the Spanish Galgo Rescue GoFundMe page.