Pets are wonderful for many reasons, not least because they ensure you never feel lonely or unloved. But if you're really lucky, they might also save your life.
The internet is awash with stories of heroic cats and dogs protecting or saving their owners, and now we can add border terriers Holly and Poppy to that list.
The pair of pups woke-up Tony Baker, 59, and his wife Jacky, 68, by frantically scratching on their bedroom door in Leicester yesterday. The couple were fast asleep and hadn't realised their attic had caught on fire.
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Because the fire was confined to the loft, the fire alarms didn't go off, as
sensors didn't detect the smoke. Thankfully, Holly and Poppy - who are one and
three respectively - did. They woke their owners up at around 3.20am, before it
was too late.
Even then, Mr Baker wasn't entirely sure what was going on. He first ran downstairs to find out what had got the dogs so flustered and only discovered his house was on fire when he went outside.
He was then able to escape the house with his disabled wife Jacky and their 16 year-old grandson, who was also in the property.
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"Had it not been for Holly and Poppy," Mr Baker said, "one of us or our
neighbours could have lost our lives in that fire.
"At first I thought that it was just next door that was on fire, so I went out to warn them.
"But as I stepped outside, I saw that our roof was on fire too. It was one of the scariest things I think I've seen.
"If we'd have stayed in there any longer, we could have been caught in a really horrific house fire, and I think it would have been very tough to get out."
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Six fire engines attended the blaze and put out the fire, but it still left the roofs of four homes - including the Barkers' - devastated.
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It is believed the fire began due to an electrical fault in cannabis 'factory' at a neighbour's house and spread quickly to the other homes.
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A spokesperson for Leicestershire Fire and Rescue Service said: "Crews were alerted that the roofs of two properties were ablaze.
"Upon arrival, it had spread into two adjacent properties. It is understood that the cause of the fire was an electrical fault at one of the properties."
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Mr Baker and his family are now staying with his daughter, Tracey, 41, and they don't expect to be able to move back home for months.
"It's had a really devastating impact on us," Mr Baker said. "The fire and water damage means that our home, along with all of our possessions, have been ruined."
Were it not for their heroic canines, however, things could have been much, much worse.
Featured Image Credit: SWNSTopics: hero, UK News, News, Fire, Rescue, Animals, Dogs