To his human father, Rello, an American Bulldog, is a hero. Rello felt he had to act when a terrible fire blasted through their home in the middle of the night.
Coy Freeman is the proud fur dad of an American Bully litter. From 8-week-old puppies to 6-year-old Rello, Coy Freeman’s home was filled with canine love.
Coy Freeman is now blind. Therefore he relies on Rello to help him with his daily duties. A gentle nudge often started Rello’s mornings, but this morning was different.
He was surely taken aback by what he witnessed. when he awoke. Rello was anxiously pawing at the front door as smoke filled the room. As burnt wood dropped from the ceiling, Freeman and Rello embarked on a mission to rescue as many of their furry friends as possible.
Freeman grabbed as many puppies as possible and rushed to the street outside his house. Once he got outside, the gravity of the situation became evident. His road was crowded with neighbors who had evacuated their homes, indicating how many families had been affected by the fire.
As Freeman enters his home to save the rest of his pets, he was stopped by neighbors and firefighters who were concerned about the hazardous conditions. Coy Freeman could only stand and watch the firemen enter his house one by one, hoping to see them return with the dogs.
Firefighters utilized 45 pieces of equipment to combat the devastating wildfire that burned through Freeman’s home for two hours. Everyone in the area attempted to save as many of his pets as possible, but four were lost.
First responders put oxygen masks on each dog, but some were unable to be rescued. Four of Freeman’s pets died in the fire.
The recent fire was Rello’s second time waking up his fur dad and informing him of an oncoming fire. Only two years earlier, a fire in a neighbor’s basement prompted Rello to alert his owner in the same approach as he did in the midst of this tragedy.
Freeman is still alive because of Rello and the other rescued puppies. We are grateful that Freeman escaped this deadly situation unharmed and that all of his neighbors fled the fire uninjured.
All photos courtesy of chicagotribune.com
