When mom arrived home her 10-month-old pup named Willow wasn’t at the front door to greet her like she normally did. Confused as to why, mom searched the house for Willow and found her acting strangely, barking and
Dogs. We love them and they always have our backs. If you’re a dog owner you know firsthand how happy your dog gets every time they see you. It’s a great feeling.
Meet Willow
Willow the 10-month-old Great Pyrenees has always been protective over her family. The sweet little dog is still a puppy, but although she might be a little crazy sometimes, she’s also full of love and affection- and already has a great sense of danger.
“She is a cuddler and loves to give hugs,” Caitlyn Radel-Paaby, Willow’s owner, told The Dodo.
Where’s Willow?
One day, Caitlyn returned from a trip to the grocery store and saw that Willow was nowhere to be found. The sweet little pup usually rushes to greet her when she arrives home, so Caitlyn immediately knew that something was out of order.
It was the night before Thanksgiving, and downstairs, Caitlyn found her boyfriend and her infant son together, but unusually, Willow wasn’t with them.
Hiding in an unusual spot
After searching the house, Caitlyn eventually found Willow huddled under the office desk. It wasn’t a spot that the puppy usually sat in, and Caitlyn’s concerns increased.
“[She] went under the desk and started acting really nervous and barking and wouldn’t come out,” Caitlyn recalled. “She even got a little defensive to get our attention and that’s when we noticed the outlet.”
Confused about her behavior
Caitlyn couldn’t figure out why her puppy was acting so strangely, but as soon as she touched the wall near the outlet, she realized how hot it was. It turned out that Willow had sniffed out a fire in the electrical outlet under the desk, before the blaze had managed to develop.
A shocking discovery
The couple were in total shock that Willow had managed to sniff out the potentially life-threatening fire, and called the fire department immediately.
It was only when they left that the seriousness of the situation began to sink in for Caitlyn.
Willow is a hero
The family’s lives had been saved, along with their home and all of their belongings- and it was all thanks to Willow. If the clever puppy hadn’t have alerted the family to the fact that there was an electrical fire, then there could have been a very difficult outcome.
“She had never done anything like this and we were shocked,” Caitlyn said. “She is always making sure her human brother is safe and she clings to me like crazy and usually will alert if something is off but never anything serious until the outlet.”
Apparently, dogs are all pretty good at sniffing out fires, and there are actually special Fire Investigation Dogs who can “detect flammable fuels with much more accuracy than electronic field devices. A dog can quickly search a large area both effectively and efficiently, and pin-point areas for further investigation or sampling.”
The family is forever grateful to their hero dog Willow. She truly saved them that day.
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