The potential for resurrection from among the worst wildfires in Los Angeles County history is visible in the now lustrous, white fur coat of a rescued husky.

It would take months for the pup to regain his confidence and his silky coat.

On Jan. 8, when the dog’s photo circulated on social media, he became the poster pet for the devastating impact of the January Palisades and Eaton fires.

In that photo, Valor – named by Pasadena Humane Society staffers –  is sitting, but in a near fetal position.

His fur is scorched brown, with patches of bare skin where embers landed. His ribs are visible.

Valor’s head is down. One ear askew. His tail is tucked low and tight. In his icy blue eyes, there’s the misery of multitudes.

The husky, suffering from smoke inhalation, arrived at Pasadena Humane within the first 24 hours of the Eaton fire’s first spark. He was one of the first critically ill dogs they treated, according to Dr. Maria Pyrdek.

Valor was utterly alone. Days and then weeks went by. No one came forward to claim him.

For nearly two months, veterinarians changed bandages on his severely burned paws. During those painful sessions, behavioral specialists worked with the pup to establish trust.

Eventually, with shine on his coat and light in his eyes, it was time for adoption staff to start seeking.

On July 5 – six months after the fires – Valor found a home.

For the tens of thousands of firestorm victims, rehousing will be measured in years, not months. But experts who have worked with firestorm pets are optimistic. They have hope for the future of beloved domestic animals and for people of Los Angeles.

They see hope in the empathy that activated thousands of volunteers. And they marvel at the resiliency of the human/animal bond.

Thanks to regional shelters and private nonprofits, thousands of L.A. County pets have either found new homes or been reunited with their original families. For instance, Pasadena Humane reports reunifying or rehousing nearly 1,600 pets.

According to Chris Ramon, interim president/CEO of Pasadena Humane, the shelter has made a lot of progress in the six months since the fires.

The shelter no longer has animals needing ICU care, or requiring bandage changes from burns or daily oxygen therapy, he said.

“As I looked over the past six months, there are some cases that remind me and most of our organization about why we do what we do – creating a community for animals and people,” Ramon said.

Valor’s rehabilitation story, said Ramon, was a perfect example of the power of the human/animal bond.

Pyrdek, one of the veterinarians who treated Valor, echoed that.

Community members, vet clinics and animal welfare organizations all reached out to Pasadena Humane to ensure they had supplies and volunteers, she said.

“While the cases were hard, the days long and the work exhausting,” said Pyrdek, “it was heartening to know we had their support behind us as we served those most in need during the crisis.”

The work continues

As the Palisades and Eaton fires ripped through Los Angeles, tens of thousands of people evacuated with their animals, fleeing to shelters, friends or family’s homes or hotels.

But for pets left behind when owners were unable to get into their neighborhoods, rescues like Pasadena Humane and Animal Wellness Foundation were there.

Resources such as a pet owner hotlines and social media posts contributed to the successes of shelters. As people rapidly evacuated, leaving work or school and not being able to go home, they could call and tell staff where in their home their pet was, so that they could be evacuated, too.

Those were really tough days, according to Pyrdek from Pasadena Humane.

“We saw an incredible amount of pain and suffering from members of our community who had been forced to evacuate in the middle of the night with nothing but the clothes on their backs,” said the veterinarian.

Pyrdek said Pasadena Humane staff worked round the clock.

“The line of people and pets needing help never seemed to end,” she added. Kennels filled up quickly and staff had to rapidly find ways to safely house the animals who continued to need shelter.

While the fire continued to blaze, Pasadena Humane treated animals with burn injuries and smoke inhalation, got the word out that they were the place to look for displaced animals and provided a safe place for owners to leave their pets as they stayed in shelters themselves.

Six months later, the work of animal shelters and rescue nonprofits continues with the Palisades and Eaton fires leaving an impact on the area’s geography, housing market, businesses and animals.

But, because of the lack of pet-friendly rentals, some families still cannot be reunited.

Rehousing is especially tough for larger dogs, said AWF founder and veterinarian Dr. Annie Harvilicz, who was responsible for saving more than 40 pets during the Palisades fire.

Harvilicz said she has a sweet older gentleman who really loves both of his 200-pound pups: One a pit bull, the other a Great Dane. But the man cannot find a place to house them.

His Palisades home burned down. So did his daughter’s.

“He really wants to get (his dogs) back,” said Harvilicz. “He’s just told me he needs two more months.”

Harvilicz is housing one of the large dogs in an old animal hospital across from her Marina del Rey practice. The other dog is in foster care.

“I never intended for dogs to be living in an old vet hospital this long,” Harvilicz said. “I’m still leasing it, because I’ve been housing these animals.”

For Palisades fire victim pet owners, Harvilicz was a godsend.

After her brother’s family was one of the first to evacuate the Palisades, she took in their dog Falkor, cat Winston and bunny Oreo.

“Gosh,” she thought, “I’ve got an entire 2,000-square-foot facility available.” She immediately offered it up to the public. Today, the space still houses about six displaced pets from the fires.

In addition, Harvilicz continues to operate a “free pet store” from the space. It aided fire victims and has recently turned into a resource for unhoused community members, she said.

“People can come here and get supplies as needed,” she said.

A post Harvilicz sent out on Jan. 7 went viral, she said. It implored residents to “take your pets with you.

“I saved a lot of animals that way,” she said. “The space in your car is at a premium, but take your animals. You don’t need supplies. You don’t need pet food. But bring the pets. Someone will take them.”

Then, she said, if you can’t house your pet, email me.

She received hundreds of requests – showing her social media can actually be an agent for good.

“When you feel another community member is going through something hard and devastating, it makes you want to help in some way,” Harvilicz said. And, even if people couldn’t help financially, they still reached out to volunteer, she added.

Social media, said Harvilicz, makes for a more global community. And, the wildfire pet rescue experience demonstrated to her the depths of the human-animal bond.

To say it was heartwarming, she said, to see how people came out to help, would be an understatement.

“It was overwhelming how strong the human / animal bond was,” said Havrilicz. “In this disaster, it really became clear how important animals are to people.”

One woman heard about the rescue efforts in Marina Del Rey during a day-long layover at LAX on her way from Oregon to Thailand. She rolled her suitcase into the facility, said Harvilicz and spent hours there bleaching every surface.

“There’s a community of pet lovers out there, that’s so great and so strong,” Harvilicz said.

Harvilicz now just needs six more pet lovers to step up to give homes to the firestorm dogs left at her makeshift shelter.

Surrendering and reuniting

For its part, Pasadena Humane has 20 to 30 such emergency boarders, Ramon said. A lot of people were able to quickly find housing to at least put a roof over their heads, he added. But many of those landlords weren’t allowing pets.

“What we’re hearing from owners is that their inability to find pet inclusive housing that’s temporary while they rebuild their homes in Altadena has been the main barrier to reclaiming,” Ramon said.

Some fire victims, after an exhaustive home search, have had to surrender their animals, Ramon said.

The fire was an unprecedented disaster for many responders, including animal rescues and shelters.

“We were able to reunite hundreds of animals with their owners -– many at the shelter, but also many in the field,” Ramon said. “It was a good reminder around just general best practices and having your animals microchipped having ID tags on them.”

Pyrdek agreed, adding having an emergency plan in place that includes pets is good practice.

“Get involved in your community and know your neighbors before a crisis strikes,” Pyrdek said. “Ask for help when you need it. Offer help when you can.”

And, as shelters and nonprofits shift focus to day-to-day busy summer operations, what keeps vets like Pyrdek and Harvilicz motivated, they agreed, are the firestorm pet success stories.

Like Valor’s.

For six months, with such a stately name, the husky carried the courage of a community.

But maybe, as his adoption day neared, it was time to surrender that, thought Pasadena Humane staffers.

Six months after his ordeal, when the silky, healthy husky hopped into his new owner Sylvia’s car, he had a new name and a fresh start.

It’s high time to fetch a ball, Riley.