A rescue dog in Franklin, Tennessee, is being praised for alerting her owner to what might have been a tragic situation on Saturday.
Just before 10:45 p.m., Jeff LeCates’ three-year-old Belgian Malinois, Roux, began barking frantically at his front door, according to a press release from the city.
“When he opened the door to investigate, she went flying out. He followed and discovered his neighbor’s house was on fire,” the release said.
LeCates then started banging on the door to wake the three people who lived inside and get them out of the house, Fox 13 reported.
Thankfully, the family and their pets escaped unharmed and LeCates tried to put out the fire while his neighbor called 911.
“I’m just glad everybody ended up okay,” he later told reporters.
The press release continued:
Ironically, the woman who lives in the home that caught fire is a dog groomer and the reason LeCates adopted Roux 15 months earlier. She knew that LeCates had lost his German Shepherd. She also knew that Roux, who is a Belgian Malinois – a breed similar to German Shepherds, was in need of a home. She helped to facilitate the adoption.
The breed was a smart, confident, versatile, and world-class worker who “forges an unbreakable bond with his human partner,” the American Kennel Club’s (AKC) website read.
“If you have ever seen a Mal perform an obedience routine, you know firsthand what a smart and eager breed this is,” the site noted.
Video evidence revealed that the fire started on the exterior of the house about one hour after the homeowner threw away a consumer firework, which was prohibited in Franklin, next to a trash can and other combustibles, Franklin Fire Marshal Andy King explained.
“King said the fire burned through the exterior soffit and involved the attic above the attached garage, causing an estimated $50,000 in damage,” an earlier press release stated.
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