Family dog heroically saves two children from devastating fire that destroyed their home
In April of 2016, a fire started on the back porch of Florida Sheriff’s Department Investigator Margo Feaser and her husband, Brent at 11:20 PM. It was found to be an accident, but as a result of the blaze and accompanying explosion, their home was a total loss.
The couple and their two children, ages 4 and 2 at the time, are lucky to be alive. And for that, they have their neighbors, firefighters, and a brave dog named Maxx to thank.
Neighbors saw it all happen and rushed to break open a front window using outdoor furniture.
“We were outside with my telescope, looking at Jupiter with my next door neighbor,” Chip Dover told TODAY. “We were getting ready to come in when we heard a big explosion, and the house just blew up. We ran over there immediately and it was burning like crazy, and then we realized the family was still inside.”
Mrs. Feaser was the first to escape but her husband and children were still trapped inside. She had to be held back to keep from rushing in to save them.
When firefighters arrived on the scene, the home was filled with smoke. But they knew precisely where to go to find the rest of the family thanks to the Feaser’s German Shepherd, Maxx. He led firefighters to each of the children’s rooms.
Seminole County Fire Rescue’s Lt. Rich Huebner said one of the firefighters who rushed into the burning home followed Maxx in an attempt to save the dog. But when he found him lying next to Feaser’s 2-year-old daughter, he realized the dog was actually helping him save the children.
“No doubt he was there to protect the baby,” Huebner told The Orlando Sentinel.
Margo Feaser worked with the Seminole County Sheriff’s Office for over a decade and it was on her patrol one night in December of 2009 that she got a call about an emaciated 1-year-old German Shepherd scaring away customers at a gas station. Feaser loaded him into the back of her vehicle and decided to take him home.
“He definitely returned the favor and then some,” she told the Sentinel.
The entire family – Maxx included – had to be hospitalized following the devastating blaze. The Feaser’s daughter didn’t have a heartbeat and their son wasn’t breathing when they were rescued. However, both children were placed on ventilators and recovered quickly.
Brent Feaser suffered burns to his upper body and required multiple surgeries after the incident.
Meanwhile, Maxx also needed to be treated for smoke inhalation and burns to his paws following his heroic rescue mission. He made a full recovery after veterinary care followed by several days of moping while Brent Feaser remained in the hospital.
Margo Feaser shared a note with the Sherriff’s Office, which they posted on Facebook for those following the family’s story. Of Maxx, she said:
“We knew when we rescued him he was a fighter, and he has always been very protective of us. We are amazed by what he did that night and we are looking forward to having him back with us,” she wrote.
Both of the Feasers are military veterans and Army reservists. Their community stepped up in a big way following the accident and a GoFundMe page (which is no longer active) managed to raise over $11,000 in just a few weeks.
The Seminole County Sherriff’s Office posted an update “from Maxx” when he was finally well enough to leave the veterinary clinic.
Be sure to scroll down below to watch Maxx excitedly return to his family.
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Source: TODAY, The Orlando Sentinel, NBC Boston, Seminole County Sheriff’s Office via Facebook