An Altadena man and his beloved golden retriever are homeward bound after completing the first fully rebuilt house since the Eaton Fire.
The one-story, 2,160-square-foot home took just four months and five days to finish, thanks to homeowner Ted Koerner’s determination to get his 13-year-old dog, Daisy May, back under her own roof.
Ted Koerner pets his dog Daisy May in their new home. Getty Images
Ted Koerner adjusting a fence at his newly rebuilt Altadena home. Getty Images
The house took 4 months to build. Getty ImagesDaisy is a fifth generation European national grand champion golden retriever bred in Russia and part of an animal cancer study run by the Morris Animal Foundation.
“This dog eats Atlantic salmon every day and drinks mountain spring water that’s $3.50 a bottle, every day of her life,” said Koerner.
“She is that important to me, she has saved me many times and I consider her to be a living angel, ” he told The Post.
When Koerner evacuated his home during the Eaton fire he felt compelled to save some prized photos of Daisy. “I grabbed two photographic prints that were in very elegant frames that were taken when she was two years old. Taken up in the snow on Thanksgiving day.”
Daisy May standing in her newly rebuilt home. Getty Images
Ted Koerner sits with his dog Daisy May outside his new home, the first fully rebuilt home completed following the Eaton Fire. Getty ImagesHe also had oil paintings of Daisy in the house done by Disney illustrators and carvings of her in bronze that were not saved. All that was left was a chimney and a pile of rubble when be started building again.
Koerner was presented with the first certificate of occupancy by LA County Supervisor Kathryn Barger on Wednesday.
“You truly are a champion. You’re a survivor — but more importantly, you are back in your home. Some place you were determined to get back into by the holidays, and it shall be,” Supervisor Barger said at a press conference, according to ABC News.
Koerner said he made sure to grab two photos of Daisy before fleeing his home during the fire. Getty ImagesThe quaint home, featuring three bedrooms, two bathrooms, an attached garage, and a patio, is a far cry from the tiny hotel room Koerner had to live in with Daisy after their evacuation.
Now they are finally back in their home together. “It’s a big adjustment. The big key is we are home. I lay down on the floor with her like normal every morning, step outside put our feet in the wet grass. And there is no-one here, it’s like being in Yellowstone national park,” he added.
“It took everyone to get this to happen. Now I have to slow down. And we are actually home, we did it.”
More homes are expected to be completed soon, the county said at a press conference.
