Jan 4, 2008 5:31 pm US/Central
Family Dog Saves Children From Fire
PORTAGE, Ind. (CBS) ―
A brave dog is credited with saving a boy and his friends from a fire in Portage, Ind. As CBS 2 Northwest Indiana Bureau Chief Pamela Jones reports, the heroics of a loyal Labrador got her young owner and his friends out of harm's way.
Christopher Peebles' dog, Laney, is more than a family pet. She's a guardian, getting a lot of love after leading Christopher to safety this morning.
A fire broke out at their home while Christopher and two friends were sleeping in the basement. Laney woke Christopher up.
"My dog came down and bit me to wake us up because there was smoke everywhere and we walked upstairs and we thought it was a dream," Christopher said.
A space heater in the garage sparked the blaze sometime around 10 a.m.
Peebles' mother and father had already left for work when firefighters broke through the door to get to the kids.
Police called Christohper's mom to tell her what happened.
"It dropped. It dropped to my feet. And I just started shaking," Vickie Peebles said.
The fire spread to the attic and consumed everything in the garage. The kids say if it weren't for Laney, they wouldn't have made it out alive.
Even neighbors who saw the fire couldn't believe their eyes.
"I freaked out, I put on my contacts and ran out and seen him and I just started crying," said ninth grader Michelle Iliff.
Laney had a doctor's visit Friday afternoon to make sure she's OK. Her owners say she's a little shaken up after her ordeal, but the cure for that is pampering.
"I think I'm gonna give her a big bag of treats," Christopher said.
The Peebles family is also thanking firefighters for their quick response this morning.
Damage is estimated at about $25,000.
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