Mike Thawley wasn’t planning to bring a dog home the day he found one tied to a pole in the rain. As it turned out, this wouldn’t be the last time that plan changed on him.
Found Tied Up in the Rain
Thawley, a firefighter with Sacramento Fire Station 14, was out walking when he spotted a puppy tied to a pole, alone, in heavy rain, with no owner in sight. He waited to see if anyone would come back for her. No one did.
He brought her back to the station, cleaned her up, and got her checked out. Her condition was rough — she was suffering from a non-contagious form of mange that had left much of her fur missing. Firefighters at the station named her Chunkie.
A Shelter Stay That Didn’t Last
Once she was stable, Thawley brought Chunkie to Front Street Animal Shelter, where staff continued treating her mange and wrapped her in warm clothing to protect her exposed skin. He hoped she’d find a home quickly.
He didn’t stay away long. The next day, Thawley came back to visit — and video of the reunion, showing Chunkie’s unmistakable excitement at seeing him again, went viral. The Sacramento Fire Department posted about it on Facebook at the time: “Although Mike denies it, it appears by a vote of four to one that Chunk might wind up with a permanent home!”
The vote was right. Thawley, his wife Carla, and their three daughters decided to foster Chunkie through her mange treatment — and made the adoption permanent not long after. “We all just kind of fell in love with her,” Thawley said. According to Thawley, the family knew from the start of fostering that she was already part of it.
From Shelter Dog to Advocate
Chunk’s story didn’t stay a one-off local news item. Thawley documented her recovery and life on social media, and her following eventually grew to more than 30 million people. She was featured in a two-page spread in Woman’s World magazine and received recognition from PETA, becoming something of an unofficial ambassador for pit bull adoption and rescue — a breed Thawley has continued advocating for since.
The Story Repeats: Meet Loki
Five years after Chunk came into his life, Thawley took in another dog under strikingly similar circumstances. In 2022, Sacramento Fire crews responded to a homeless encampment debris fire in North Sacramento and found a puppy with burned plastic melted onto his fur, including on his back, head, and hind leg. The captain on scene called Thawley directly: “Do you want him?” Thawley said yes.
He fostered the puppy — picking burned plastic from his coat, then watching his personality emerge with food, water, and a bath — and ultimately adopted him too, naming him Loki after the Norse god of fire, a nod to how they met.
“This isn’t the first time Thawley has fostered a dog crews rescued,” reported CBS Sacramento at the time, connecting the story directly back to Chunk.
Frequently Asked Questions
What happened to Chunkie/Chunk after she was adopted? She became a long-term member of the Thawley family and, through their social media presence, grew into a widely followed advocate for pit bull rescue, with more than 30 million followers and features in Woman’s World magazine and recognition from PETA.
Did the same firefighter really rescue and adopt a second dog years later? Yes — in 2022, Mike Thawley fostered and then adopted Loki, a puppy rescued from a debris fire in North Sacramento, five years after Chunk’s rescue and adoption.
Is mange in rescued puppies typically treatable? Yes — non-contagious forms of mange, like what Chunkie had, are generally very treatable with veterinary care, though recovery of a full coat can take weeks to months depending on severity.
Sources: One Green Planet, DogHeirs, CBS Sacramento, and the Sacramento Fire Department’s public statements, cited above.
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