“We were outside with my telescope, looking at Jupiter with my next door neighbor,” neighbor Chip Dover told TODAY Parents. “We were getting ready to come in when we heard a big explosion, and the house just blew up. We ran over there immediately and it was burning like crazy, and then we realized the family was still inside.”

Using furniture on the porch, they broke the front windows of the Longwood, Florida home belonging to military veterans Margo and Brent Feaser.

“One of the neighbors saw an occupant in one of the rooms and picked up a table and smashed through the window, all the windows acutally, and pulled the woman to safety,” Seminole Sheriff’s Office Chief Deputy Dennis Lemma told News 13.

“The employee [Margo, an auto theft investigator], when she initially came out, her primary concern was to get back inside and rescue her children. She is an absolute trouper. She is a hero within our organization, and her actions tonight demonstrated that behavior.”

Firefighters arrived moments later and pulled Brent to safety.  But his four-year-old son and two-year-old daughter were still inside, along with Maxx.  The heroic dog led firefighters through the smothering smoke to the children’s bedroom.

All of the family members, including Maxx, were taken to various hospitals for treatment of their serious to critical conditions, but all are expected to recover.

“We are grateful to the neighbors who jumped into action, and we especially thank the firefighters who selflessly entered the burning structure and risked their lives for the Feaser family,” said Sheriff Don Eslinger.

“There is a long road of recovery and rebuilding ahead, but our Sheriff’s Office family will be with Margo and her family every step of the way. We know our community is behind them too, and we appreciate the tremendous outpouring of support the family has received.”

A fundraiser has been set up to help the Feaser family cover their medical costs and find a new home.  If you would like to donate, please click here.

Checks and money orders may be made out to “Seminole County Sheriff’s Office Employee Benevolent Fund” and sent to 100 Bush Boulevard, Sanford, FL 32773, attention: “Feaser Family Fund.” Anyone with questions is asked to call 407-665-6880.

The post Retired Police Dog Leads Firefighters to Toddlers Trapped in Burning Home appeared first on ILoveDogsAndPuppies.

Noreen Lucas had been asleep in her bed when the fire broke out.  She had been sick with pneumonia, and didn’t awaken right away.  Thankfully, Rex was nearby and got her out of bed.

“I was so comatose so when Rex woke me up, dragging me, I knew there was something wrong,” Lucas said.

When the dog pulled her into the hallway, she could see that the walls were engulfed in flames.  The house was becoming a massive inferno very quickly.  After taking a minute to realize what was going on, she got herself up off the floor and went to help the rest of the animal family members that were also in the house.

Lucas and Rex managed to get everyone out of the burning house alive, and uninjured.  There was another dog, and two cats in the home as well at the time.

The community has also come to the family’s rescue.  They put together donations, food and other things to help them in their time of need.  The family is very grateful for the help, but are really just glad no one was injured or worse.

The post Dog Saves Family Member’s Life From Fire on Christmas Eve appeared first on ILoveDogsAndPuppies.

At first, the dog seemed very scared, and didn’t want anything worse to happen.  The dog pretty much refused to leave the human’s side, so rescuers had to distract it to administer first aid.

They tried to call the dog away, but that wasn’t happening.  So, they grabbed a standard fire extinguisher, and sprayed it off in the air.  The noise got the dog to leave the man’s side, and the man was saved.

Firefighters said that the dog was never aggressive in any way towards them.  They knew the dog was scared for his human, and they understood that.  Even after they got to the man and administered first aid, the dog eventually made his way back to the man, and laid down by his side again.

The man is expected to be OK, and is in the good hands at a local hospital.  The man’s daughter was also in the home at the time, but was not badly injured and is expected to be just fine as well.  Rescue teams also took two turtles and a couple other dogs out of harm’s way as well, and all are doing just fine.

https://youtu.be/9sqiAiw_SZM

The post Pit Bull Stands Guard Over Injured Human After Fire appeared first on ILoveDogsAndPuppies.

An employee of the water department was working near a home on East Shady Lane.  He noticed that a dog without a leash on had wandered near him, and looked to be seeking some attention.

When the employee went to check on the dog’s tags to see where the dog was from he noticed the house wasn’t far.  The dog lead the man to his house, which was on fire.

The worker surmised that the dog had jumped out the window, and was looking to get help.  It was a good thing too, because in just a short time, both dogs would have been overcome by the smoke.

The water department employee was able to get into the burning house, and rescue the other dog in there.  Emergency services were called, and the fire was brought under control.  The owners of the home were not there at the time of the incident, and no one was hurt in the fire.

The post Dog Facilitates Rescue of Dog Buddy from House Fire appeared first on ILoveDogsAndPuppies.