A chow chow named Chucky is being hailed a hero after he saved a family of six from a house fire on Tuesday. The East Point, Georgia, family was asleep when a fire broke out in their home around 5:00am on Tuesday morning. The family says that Chucky the dog is responsible for alerting them to the fire in time to escape.
According to CBS6 , a great-grandmother, her daughter, two granddaughters, and their two children made it out of the home safely because the family dog alerted them to the fire by howling. The great-grandmother, Anita Williams, claims that if it weren’t for Chucky, “we’d have all been dead.” Williams says that she has had Chucky the dog for 14 years.
WMBF notes that though the dog made it out of the home alive, he did sustain some severe burns. The dog has been taken to Southwest Veterinary Clinic to receive care for his third-degree burns. However, the dog will require months of treatment to overcome the injuries. These treatments come at a hefty cost, a cost the family says they now cannot afford after losing their home and belongings.
The American Red Cross has stepped in to provide a temporary shelter for the family of six, but the family is still unsure how they will pay for all of Chucky the hero dog’s treatments. The Southwest Veterinary Clinic said they can accept direct donations to help cover the dog’s care if people are wanting to help the Williams’ family with the costs. However, Anita is worried for Chucky since she said she has virtually no money in wake of the disaster.
This isn’t the first time a dog stepped up and saved a family member only to be left in need of care. A pit bull that saved his owner from a house fire in Ohio is now in need of a home when his owner had to give him up. The pit bull was turned over to a rescue group for temporary care.
Though Chucky’s family wishes to keep the dog following his heroic efforts, if Chucky the dog does not receive the treatments he needs from the veterinary clinic, the prognosis is not good. The family says the dog could die from the injuries he sustained during the fire if not properly treated.
Hopefully Chucky can get the treatments he is in desperate need of so that he can return to his family he worked so hard to save. What do you think the family should do to repay Chucky for his heroic efforts?
