Pet Dog Saves Sleeping Owner From House Fire By Waking Him Up

A pet dog saved its owner from a house fire by waking him up as soon as the home began to fill with smoke. The incident took place in Berthoud, Colorado, on Sunday night.

In a Facebook post Monday, the Berthoud Fire Protection District said officials were dispatched to the mobile home park around 11:40 p.m. local time Sunday (1.40 a.m. EDT Monday).

“Upon arrival, Berthoud Engine 1 declared an active structure fire and began fire suppression efforts. It was determined that there were no occupants in the residence and crews began an offensive fire attack,” the post said. The fire was brought under control within half an hour.

Officials said the homeowner was fast asleep when the fire broke out in his mobile home. He, however, escaped unhurt, thanks to his puppy, a Miniature Pinscher named Bella.

“The homeowner had fallen asleep when the fire started, and his puppy Bella’s actions of licking her owner’s face to wake him saved this homeowner’s life,” officials said.

The unnamed man then safely left the home, called 911 before alerting the neighbors about it. Nobody was injured in the incident, however, “due to the damage, the home will not be able to be occupied at this time.”

Investigators were trying to find out the cause of the fire.

“Prior to the fire, the homeowner was in the process of replacing smoke detectors in the home and consequently had no working smoke detectors at the time of the fire. This is an excellent example of why working smoke detectors are critical to have in your home,” officials said.

In a similar incident in Belleville, Wisconsin, earlier this month, a dog saved its owner’s family from fire by waking them up on time. “There was no smoke in the house at all, so the alarms did not go off. It was the dog. The dog woke me up, and that got us out,” the owner said, adding that the fire totally engulfed the home within 10 minutes. Calling the dog a “hero,” the owner said, she “will never be without a dog in my house again, ever.”