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It was about 3:30 in the morning when a Bethel, Connecticut family was awaked by their normally quiet dog, Jasper. Little did they know, the little dog was about to become a big hero, potentially saving the lives of a family sleeping soundly next door.
Jasper, a 4-year old Dachshund who sleeps in the bed with his humans, began barking and acting up in the early Sunday morning hours.
“He was jumping on my husband’s head. He wouldn’t give it up,” Robin Houser told News4 New York.
After a few minutes of trying to calm Jasper, Houser’s husband got out of bed to try to find out what had the little dog so worked up. That’s when he discovered the neighbor’s porch was on fire.
The family next door, including two small children, were soundly asleep in their beds, unaware of the blaze that had sparked on their porch.
“He was amazing. His dog started to bark a lot and wake up, and they called 911 and saved our lives,” said neighbor Izabella Zanbeli. The families waited outside for help to arrive, with Jasper continuing to bark until volunteers with the Stony Hill Volunteer Fire Department got to the scene.
“As soon as everybody came, the police, and the firemen and everything, he calmed down. So he definitely knew what he was doing,” Zanbeli said.
It’s unclear what sparked the fire, but the family have installed and updated existing smoke alarms while continuing to be grateful to Jasper and his family.
The Houser family are proud of their big hero, if not a little surprised. “I was surprised that he did it, but I’m not surprised that other animals do it,” Robin said of Jasper’s actions. “It’s just not like him. He’s so goofy.”
