Fire Breaks Out, Little Dog Saves Lives

February 14, 2001 
Northeast Bexar County, Texas, USA

Early Tuesday morning, an electrical fire broke out at the Boysville home for abused and neglected children.  The entire structure was reduced to charred rubble, but thanks to a heroic Chihuahua, the inhabitants were saved, and the fire was contained before it could spread to nearby homes.

Our hero is a 7 lb. Chihuahua named Rosco, who sensed the fire while his owners were asleep, around 2:00 am.  He began barking incessantly in an unusual and urgent manner, waking Lillian Heise, the owner of the building.

Said Ms. Heise, "I woke up by him really barking extra loud.  This was a different sound than normal; I think he knew there was something different going on back there.  I went to the window and saw flashes of light.  I knew then that I really must have a problem."

She then called 911, and firefighters soon arrived on the scene.  They found the building engulfed in flames, the fire rapidly spreading, but they were nonetheless able to put it out, thanks to the early warning.  Fire officials noted that the timing of the fire's discovery led them to extinguish it before it spread to nearby homes.

Rosco has been credited with saving lives.  "I'm going to carry him around in a silver platter," added Ms. Heise. "He's a real sweetie."

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