ILLINOIS GOVERNOR PROCLAIMS OCTOBER 11 "SMOKEY THE DOG DAY"

JACKSONVILLE FIREHOUSE POOCH WON AN APPEARANCE ON NBC'S "CHICAGO FIRE" AS PART OF THE DRAMA'S TOP DOG CONTEST

UNIVERSAL CITY, Calif. - Oct. 10, 2013 - Pat Quinn, the Governor of Illinois, has proclaimed that October 11th will now be known as "Smokey the Dog Day" in the state. Last week, Smokey, a Labrador/Retriever mix based out of Station 2 in Jacksonville, Illinois, was named winner of the NBC "Chicago Fire" Top Dog Competition. Smokey will appear on NBC's "Chicago Fire" in a cameo role during an episode later this season.

As a 6-month old puppy, Smokey was inside a home that was engulfed in flames. Eventually, her lifeless body was brought out and, with the aid of firefighters and a veterinarian, was kept on oxygen for three days, hand fed, and nurtured. Now she is a training tool for school children and the community as the firefighters have taught her safety techniques such as "stop, drop and roll," among other civic duties the 4-year-old pooch performs.

Smokey beat-out more than 100 firehouse dogs nationwide that entered the contest, looking to fetch the guest spot on "Chicago Fire" and the appearance on "Today."

"Chicago Fire" airs Tuesdays at 10 p.m. (ET/PT). The drama series, which recently scored its highest ratings ever is produced by Universal Television and Wolf Films and stars Jesse Spencer, Taylor Kinney, Eamonn Walker, Monica Raymund, Lauren German, Charlie Barnett, David Eigenberg, Yuri Sardarov, Joe Minoso and Christian Stolte. The executive producers are Dick Wolf, Matt Olmstead, Michael Brandt, Derek Haas, Danielle Gelber, Joe Chappelle and Peter Jankowski.

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