Furry Tails: Hero Dog Protects Owner From Fire
"If you treat your animal right, your animal is going to do the same thing for you and that's what shows. She put a lot of loving care into taking care of her animals."
A woman is recovering following a weekend fire in Philadelphia that could have claimed her life.
But she's alive today, all because of her hero dog.
His name is Che, and when the fire started in their home in Port Richmond, Pennsylvania, on Sunday, the dog climbed on top of his owner to try and keep her safe.
A neighbor of the fire victim tells KDKA sister station, CBS Philadelphia, that firefighters found the woman on the floor in her living room.
WATCH: CBS Philly's Report:
Neighbor Anthony Daly picks up the story from there, "The dog was on top of her. I guess he had tried to protect her. Che was a good dog, so that's what Che did."
Both were unconscious.
The woman was rushed to Temple Hospital, while animal rescue workers took Che to a nearby animal clinic.
"The neighbors tried covering him up with blankets. The fire department had given him oxygen and he was alert, but was just kind of laying there lethargic," Jen Leary, of Red Paw Emergency Relief Team, told CBS Philadelphia.
Unfortunately, the woman's cat died in the fire.
But Che continues to recover at that Philadelphia animal hospital from smoke inhalation. CBS Philadelphia reports he had no visible burns. Red Paw Emergency Relief Team reported on Facebook Monday that Che is stable. While he is still getting oxygen, he is eating and was able to go for a short walk.
He also was visited by members of the Philadelphia Fire Department, which helped to rescue him and his owner.
His owner, at last report, was in critical condition with burns to more than half her body.
Not only did Che try and keep his owner safe, officials said his barks alerted neighbors to the blaze, waking them up in the middle of the night when there were no working smoke detectors in the home.
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