A dog is without his family this Thanksgiving -- but nonetheless, the little guy is safe and warm.
The Prince George's County Fire Department said the small brown and gray dog wandered into the St. Joseph Fire/EMS station in Springdale to escape the rain and cold overnight.
The D.C. area had a day of mixed snow and rain, which fell steadily throughout the day Wednesday before temperatures dropped even farther. Battalion Chief Michael Linynsky told NBC Washington that the dog wandered into the station around midnight.
He is wearing a collar but has no tags. Firefighters said he appears well-groomed and nourished.
Linynsky said the dog is small, about 10 pounds, and looks to be a Yorkshire terrier.
Firefighters have given him the temporary name of Gizmo.
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He was cared for at the fire station Thursday, then transferred to Animal Management in Upper Marlboro Friday morning. A release from the fire department said in part that Gizmo "is being affectionately tended to by firefighters by drying him off, warming him and providing food and water."
Firefighters went door-to-door to nearby homes at dawn Thursday to see if Gizmo belongs to any neighborhood residents, but no one claimed him.
Firefighters were eventually able to determine that Gizmo doesn't have a microchip, after earlier efforts hadn't worked out.
They had first tried to take him to an animal shelter to check for a chip, only to discover the shelter was closed due to Thanksgiving; then they tried to bring him to a vet to check for a microchip, but a holiday surcharge would have proved too costly, Linynsky said.
Public Information Officer Mark Brady posted on Twitter around 12:30 p.m. Thursday that someone with a scanner determined that Gizmo isn't microchipped.
The dog's owner is asked to call Animal Management at 301-780-7200.
