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A four-legged hero; Humboldt Hill fire victim says her deaf 14-year-old dog saved her life - ContraCostaTimes.com
Anne Fenimore was fast asleep when she felt Sophie nuzzle her.
It was early Saturday morning and Fenimore did what any dog owner would do -- she pushed Sophie away. But when the 14-year-old chow-Australian shepherd mix, who's been deaf the last few months, jumped back on the bed and nuzzled her again, Fenimore knew something was wrong.
Hearing crackling sounds and breathing smoke, Fenimore realized her Humboldt Hill Road house was on fire. As the fire inched its way up walls to the second story, Fenimore and Sophie made their way outside the house to a neighbor to dial 911.
Sophie came to Fenimore and her husband at 11 months old after someone had abandoned her in the area. When the dog ignored Fenimore's ducks and made friends with her cats, Fenimore knew the dog was going to stay. While Sophie's chocolate-brown face is now gray around the muzzle, Fenimore says she still leaps like a puppy.
”Sophie's the best dog in the world,” she said. “I think if I had kept on sleeping through all of that, I would have died of smoke inhalation.”
If Sophie hadn't woken Fenimore up, and if Fenimore hadn't called the fire department when she did, the flames would have been a lot tougher to put out, said Bret Banducci, a fire captain with the Humboldt No. 1 Fire Protection District. Banducci and 13 other firefighters, including volunteers and personnel from the Eureka Fire Department, arrived at Fenimore's house at 12:36 a.m. Saturday.
It took firefighters about 30 minutes to put the blaze out, Banducci said, adding the design of the house made it difficult for them to reach the fire, forcing firefighters to cut away some of the structure. When firefighters arrived, most of the fire was in an open area between the floor and the foundation, Banducci said. There wasn't a lot of actual flame, but the fire was beginning to climb up the walls to the second story.
”Within a matter of a few more minutes, the fire would have progressed up into the attic space,” Banducci said. “And at that time it would have made it a lot tougher to extinguish. Because there were a lot of hidden spots, extinguishment took us so long.”
Banducci said the cause of the fire is still under investigation, but the area of origin is believed to be in the structure's foundation area. The fire is estimated to have caused about $15,000 in damage. Fenimore's smoke detector failed to go off, Banducci said.
Because the fire knocked out the electricity in their homes, Fenimore, her neighbor who lives in a unit on the property and Sophie spent a few nights at the Best Western Bayshore Inn. Sophie spent much of the time going between the two adjoining rooms making sure everyone was OK.
”You cannot beat this dog,” Fenimore said. “This is the most amazing dog I've ever known or had.”
Anne Fenimore was fast asleep when she felt Sophie nuzzle her.
It was early Saturday morning and Fenimore did what any dog owner would do -- she pushed Sophie away. But when the 14-year-old chow-Australian shepherd mix, who's been deaf the last few months, jumped back on the bed and nuzzled her again, Fenimore knew something was wrong.
Hearing crackling sounds and breathing smoke, Fenimore realized her Humboldt Hill Road house was on fire. As the fire inched its way up walls to the second story, Fenimore and Sophie made their way outside the house to a neighbor to dial 911.
Sophie came to Fenimore and her husband at 11 months old after someone had abandoned her in the area. When the dog ignored Fenimore's ducks and made friends with her cats, Fenimore knew the dog was going to stay. While Sophie's chocolate-brown face is now gray around the muzzle, Fenimore says she still leaps like a puppy.
”Sophie's the best dog in the world,” she said. “I think if I had kept on sleeping through all of that, I would have died of smoke inhalation.”
If Sophie hadn't woken Fenimore up, and if Fenimore hadn't called the fire department when she did, the flames would have been a lot tougher to put out, said Bret Banducci, a fire captain with the Humboldt No. 1 Fire Protection District. Banducci and 13 other firefighters, including volunteers and personnel from the Eureka Fire Department, arrived at Fenimore's house at 12:36 a.m. Saturday.
It took firefighters about 30 minutes to put the blaze out, Banducci said, adding the design of the house made it difficult for them to reach the fire, forcing firefighters to cut away some of the structure. When firefighters arrived, most of the fire was in an open area between the floor and the foundation, Banducci said. There wasn't a lot of actual flame, but the fire was beginning to climb up the walls to the second story.
”Within a matter of a few more minutes, the fire would have progressed up into the attic space,” Banducci said. “And at that time it would have made it a lot tougher to extinguish. Because there were a lot of hidden spots, extinguishment took us so long.”
Banducci said the cause of the fire is still under investigation, but the area of origin is believed to be in the structure's foundation area. The fire is estimated to have caused about $15,000 in damage. Fenimore's smoke detector failed to go off, Banducci said.
Because the fire knocked out the electricity in their homes, Fenimore, her neighbor who lives in a unit on the property and Sophie spent a few nights at the Best Western Bayshore Inn. Sophie spent much of the time going between the two adjoining rooms making sure everyone was OK.
”You cannot beat this dog,” Fenimore said. “This is the most amazing dog I've ever known or had.”