Heroes

Hero Dog Saves Lives After Alerting Owners to House Fire

Published

1 year ago

January 4, 2024

credit – Arlington, WA Police Department, released.

Quick Smiles:

• A heroic dog named Lucy in Arlington, Washington state, woke her owners up to alert them about a fire in their neighbor’s house.
• Lucy’s unusual barking led her owners to discover the fire, call 911, and potentially save their neighbor’s life.
• Lucy’s barking was so loud it also woke up other neighbors, who joined in alerting fire and rescue services.

In the quiet town of Arlington, Washington state, a dog named Lucy turned into a real-life hero. She switched up her usual tune and alerted her owners to a fire that was engulfing their neighbor’s house.

Picture this: It’s 3:00 a.m. and a fire is silently consuming the workshop of a nearby North County home. Douglas O’Connor II is in deep slumber across the road, when he is jolted awake by the sound of his dog, Lucy.

“Normally, I just yell at her to go to sleep, you know?” O’Connor shared, recalling countless times he’s been awakened by Lucy’s barking.

But this time, Lucy’s bark was different. It was a “loud, screaming-type bark. It was totally different than her just barking at a usual, usual bark. It was totally—woke us both up. Something’s wrong. Wow. She was trying to tell us something,” O’Connor revealed.

Intrigued by Lucy’s unusual alarm, O’Connor’s wife decided to investigate. She peered out of the window and spotted the fire. They immediately dialed 911, and firefighters were soon on the scene. They managed to contain and eventually extinguish the blaze before it could spread from the detached workshop to the home, where the owner was still asleep.

Firefighters said that if another 10 minutes had passed, the fire could have reached the house. “So that was a little scary,” O’Connor admitted.

The firefighters and police officers got to meet Lucy, the furry early warning system, who quickly became a hit among them. Lucy’s barking was so powerful that it woke up other neighbors too, who also alerted fire and rescue services.