Provided by Karen Pollack
Freckles the Firehouse Dog, the beloved neighborhood pet often called the honorary “mayor of West Loop,” died Wednesday after nearly 17 years at Chicago Fire Department Engine 103’s firehouse.
Freckles was well known among the neighborhood, popular on Facebook where his page has amassed more than 1,225 likes and said to have been the inspiration for the dog on NBC’s “Chicago Fire.”
A Dalmatian-pit bull mix, Freckles could often be seen on walks around the West Loop or perched on a yoga mat outside the firehouse, where he greeted neighbors. Business owners were happy to let him in for a visit, and strangers who recognized him from social media would stop to pet him, said Michelle Langlois, one of the handful of neighbors who helped care for Freckles.