A rescue dog who had only just found a new home in New Zealand has been credited with saving her owner’s life after a house fire.
Hazel, a 9-month-old rescue dog, woke her sleeping owner by biting him after a fire broke out at his home in Whakatāne, Good News Network reported.
The blaze spread so quickly that locals said it intensified faster than expected. Hazel’s owner escaped alive, but suffered smoke inhalation and the house was destroyed.
The home’s property manager, Christina Eichler, told Stuff: “If his dog wasn’t there, he wouldn’t be here.”
According to JDC Rescue, Hazel had been surrendered twice before reaching her new home. The group said she was rescued as a puppy and rehomed, only to be “devastated once again” when another owner “decided to make a lifestyle change and dumped her.”
Dora Motateanu from JDC Rescue said: “I mean this is why we do this, for those moments when we see dogs finding their families.”
Just days earlier, the rescue had described Hazel as a “genuine treasure” and wrote: “Despite the unfortunate circumstances she has faced, she remains the most gentle and loving girl you could ever meet.”
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