Clever Dog Alerts Owner, Prevents Major Disaster
(Springfield)Â â A potential tragedy was averted last night thanks to the quick thinking of a family’s pet dog, a three-year-old Border Collie named Max.
The incident occurred around 11 PM at the Miller family’s home, which has a ground-floor grocery store. Mr. John Miller was asleep in the upstairs living quarters when he was suddenly awakened by his dog’s frantic behavior.
“Max was acting completely out of character,” said Mr. Miller. “He was barking non-stop, whining, and tugging at my pajamas. He wouldn’t calm down. I knew something was very wrong.”
Instead of leading Mr. Miller to his food bowl or the door to go outside, Max persistently ran towards the staircase that leads down to the closed store. Following his dog’s urgent cues, Mr. Miller went downstairs and discovered smoke beginning to seep from the storage room door. An electrical short circuit had started a small fire.
Thanks to Max’s early warning, Mr. Miller was able to quickly call the emergency fire services and use a fire extinguisher to control the blaze before it could spread. Firefighters arrived shortly after and fully extinguished the fire.
“Without that dog’s alert, this could have been a completely different story,” said Fire Captain Emily Thorne at the scene. “The smoke could have overcome the family long before they smelled it. That dog is a true hero.”
The Miller family and their store suffered only minor smoke damage. Max has been rewarded with a large, new bone and plenty of extra cuddles for his life-saving actions.
