Family dog saves lives of its human family members

A family dog may have saved his human family from death or serious injury in a house fire Tuesday evening. The fire was at 1024 Barksdale Drive in New Albany.

The dog itself was injured during the blaze.

The man of the house was in the shower when the family pet pushed open the bathroom door. The man saw smoke rolling in through the open door, grabbed his clothes and went to a bedroom to warn his son of the fire.

The New Albany Fire Department (NAFD) was alerted and hurried to the scene of the fire, north of Bratton Road, on the southwest side of New Albany. Fire fighters received the fire call at about 8:30 p.m. Tuesday evening, July 30.

A new Albany family’s frame home suffered severe fire and smoke damage Tuesday evening, July 30.

First units on scene reported heavy smoke and fire coming from the wood frame structure.

Crews made a very quick fire attack and knocked the fire down. The residents reported that everyone was out of the house. They said that, if it had not been for the family dog, things might not have turned out so well.

However, the firemen and family did not see the heroic family dog when the fire was under control.

A search found that the dog was still inside the bathroom. Apparently, when the owner of the dog came out of the bathroom, the door closed behind him, trapping the dog inside.

Firemen give aid to a dog accidentally left inside a burning house after alerting his family to the danger.

Firefighters brought the family pet outside and performed first aid. The dog was suffering from heat, smoke inhalation, and was found to have burn injuries.

“It was a sight to see when I turned around. Just about all of our firefighters were with the dog, giving it oxygen, giving it water to drink, cooling down, petting it and giving it comfort,” said Deputy Fire Chief Mark Whiteside. “Chief Steve Coker was speaking to the veterinary clinic on the phone.”

The remainder of the firefighters finished up with the fire, making sure all hot spots were extinguished.

As of Wednesday noon, the dog had been to the veterinarian. His condition and prospects for recovery are still being assessed.

“There is no doubt in my mind or that of the family that the family pet saved its owners from harm,” said Whiteside.

The home sustained heavy fire, heat, and smoke damage. Three fire trucks, along with 17 firefighters, were on the scene for just under two hours before returning to their stations and homes.

No other injuries were reported. The cause of the fire is believed to be electrical in nature, originating in the kitchen between the cooking range and the wall.

Deputy Chief Whiteside told NAnewsweb.com that pets saving families from fires is by no means rare. The NAFD is in the process of securing an oxygen mask especially made for pets.

More on Hero Dog’s status: http://newalbanyunionco.com/hero-dog-dudley-better-today/

To contribute to a Go Fund Me Account for Dudley: http://newalbanyunionco.com/go-fund-me-account-dudley/