A dog in Detroit is credited with saving a 1-year-old baby from a house fire.
Dog Saves Baby From Blaze
Last month, a blaze erupted in a multi-family home at 3456 Beniteau St. The fire started as a result of a child playing with a lighter, which ignited a mattress. The family that lived above that unit consisted of Janet Kelley, her four children, her fiancé DaQuan Davis, and two pets.
The residents downstairs rushed up to alert everyone to the blaze, but both units were quickly filling with black smoke. The fire spread from the two units in the multi-family home to another house next door.
Kelley and Davis were at Walmart with her two oldest children, ages 9 and 7, at the time the fire broke out. Davis’ brother, who was at the home, tried to rush everyone out of the house but Kelley’s 1-year-old daughter got stuck in a playpen. Blue, the family’s 3-year-old Pit Bull Lab mix, stayed by the baby the whole time, and when firefighters arrived on the scene, the pup alerted first responders to little girl’s location.
Kelley told the Detroit Free Press that Blue “is very protective over all of us.” The dog, a rescue, has been part of the family for two years. Davis walks him every morning. Now, he’s an even more cherished member of the family.
Family Seeks New Home Base After Fire
Unfortunately, Kelley and her family have lost everything but each other due to the fire. As renters without insurance, they have little recourse or financial compensation available to them for the blaze. They were able to stay at the Red Roof Inn for a couple of nights thanks to a GoFundMe campaign but are otherwise living out of a minivan.
“I truly just want my kids to be safe and warm and to be kids,” Kelley said. “Not worry about where we are sleeping every night.”
The family has managed to keep Blue with them, but because of a lack of space, the family cat, Smokey, has had to remain at the decimated home. Kelley checks on him and takes Blue to visit so the animals can play together.
You can donate to the family’s GoFundMe here.
