According to his owner, a 2 year old Australian labradoodle named Charlie rarely whines or barks.
“So when he does, it certainly gets our attention,” Charlie’s owner Chad McCollum said.
And it was Charlie’s persistent and unusual barking that caught his attention, and alerted him to a rapidly spreading fire in his Clovis community in California on April 28th.
It was in the early hours of the morning when McCollum was woken up by Charlie’s persistent barking.
Thinking Charlie might need to relieve himself, McCollum took Charlie out to the yard. But Charlie didn’t need to go. In fact, his barks got louder and more persistent.
When Charlie refused to come back and continued barking towards a specific corner of the yard, McCollum paid closer attention to what Charlie was barking at. That’s when he spotted a subtle orange glow and billows of smoke coming from two streets away.
“That’s not right,” McCollum recalled.
McCollum put Charlie back inside the house, put on a pair of shoes, and dashed towards the fire. An RV was on fire, and the flames were starting to spread to the neighbouring homes.
McCollum quickly called the fire department and alerted the residents of both homes.
Escaped unscathed
Charlie’s persistent barking alerted his owner to a potentially dangerous situation. Credit: Chad McCollum
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When the firefighters showed up, both families were safe outside and the flames were about 20ft tall.
“Thankfully the firefighters managed to put out the fire really quickly,” McCollum said.
When the neighbors tried to thank him for alerting them to the fire and for calling emergency services, McCollum responded, “It wasn’t me. If not for my dog, I’d be sound asleep.”
“There was no way I would have woken up,” he said. “Charlie alerted us to the danger, and he most definitely saved lifes by doing so.”
According to McCollum, his children were incredibly proud of Charlie and rewarded him with plenty of belly rubs and treats following the fire. Apart from the companionship that pets provide, he emphasized, “there’s a purpose for having them in our lives.”
Stephen Quick, the owner of one of the homes damaged by the fire, is extremely thankful to Charlie for his keen senses, and believes that the situation might have been a lot worse if not for the dog.
Alongside his two sons and their two golden retrievers, they all managed to emerge unharmed.
Thanks to Charlie, all his family members, as well as their two golden retrievers, managed to escape unharmed.
Quick (right), and his two sons, Caleb (left) and Logan, are extremely grateful for the actions of Charlie and McCollum. Credit: Stephen Quick.
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“I don’t think we would be alive today if it weren’t for Charlie,” Quick said.
“None of the fire alarms inside the house went off because the fire was outside,” Quick added.
Quick and his sons made sure that Charlie was rewarded for his heroic behavior by giving him a basket of bones and treats as a thank you.
New firefighter!
In honor of Charlie’s life-saving instincts, Charlie was given a “junior firefighter” hat and badge by the Clovis Fire Department. His neighbours also made Charlie a makeshift medal with the word “HERO” on it to celebrate his heroic actions.
Charlie is definitely a hero!
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“This incident is just a great reminder that dogs are amazing,” the fire department wrote in a Facebook post.
McCollum agrees.
“This incident just made me appreciate my dog even more,” McCollum said. “He made a difference when it mattered the most.”
