Dog Saves Veteran Owner’s Life by Waking Him During House Fire

A South Carolina dog is being hailed as a hero for waking up his veteran owner during a house fire on Monday morning, an act which saved his life.

Curly the dog saved his owner Brian Rand after nudging him with his nose until Rand awoke to heavy smoke in his hallway, the City of Beaufort and Town of Port Royal Fire Department wrote on Facebook.

It was at that point that Rand grabbed Curly and ran outside while the smoke billowed inside his home, the Associated Press reported.

“Got up and started walking, but when I got up, the house was overly smoky. Saw the flames through the side window,” Rand told WJCL.

The Vietnam veteran quickly grabbed Curly and called 911.

Firefighters were not able to salvage half of Rand’s home, but they were able to save his medals from his military service during the Vietnam War.

Rand said that ultimately, it was Curly who saved his life because he predicted the roof would have collapsed on him if he did not get up in time.

Community members in Rand’s neighborhood have set up a GoFundMe page to offset the costs of fixing the damage to Rand’s home. As of Thursday afternoon, it has raised $2,600 of its $5,000 goal.