Dog saves family, dies in N.B. fire

Global NewsJanuary 19, 2009



RUSAGONIS, N.B. — A family dog helped save the children but died shortly after, following a house fire that destroyed a log home here Sunday morning.
Andrew Ronalds and his two young sons, aged two and five, were in the basement when their dog Lexi started barking. When the man went upstairs to see what was the matter, he found the back of his home on fire.
He told Global News his first thought was: "Oh my God, get downstairs, get the kids, get them out of the house."
The man managed to shuffle his children, in stocking-feet and not wearing winter coats, out of the home. But Lexi didn't make it out.
Fire Chief Jody Price said the man did the right thing by not going back into the house.
"I think that's why today, we have a family that's grieving the loss of a family pet, but not grieving the loss of a family member."
"She was better than a smoke detector," said Ronalds, of the Labrador retriever. "And here's my advice for anybody from this situation: get a dog and love and take care of your dog and your dog will take care of you when you need it."
The cause of the fire, which caused several hundreds of thousands of dollars in damages, was not immediately known. The family has moved in with friends and the community has pitched in with donations.
Rusagonis is 79 kilometres northwest of Saint John.


From Vancouversun.com