Goodrich- In the early morning hours of July 31, Jennifer Sweet awoke to her springer mix dog, ‘Oscar,? pawing at her arm, whimpering for her to wake up.
After minutes of unrelentless whining from him, she finally gave in and immediately smelled smoke in the house. She woke up her husband Russ, who ran to the laundry room discovering flames coming from the dryer.
The fire started when a belt in the dryer broke causing the drum to stop.
Oscar picked up the fumes that the smoke alarm could not because the door to the laundry room was shut. Oscar, recognized the scent in the air was not normal and alerted the family.
‘Flames were shooting out from under the dryer and around it. When he opened the dryer door, more flames shot out from that,? said Jennifer. ‘The dryer was squealing, making noises I’ve never heard before and looked as if it was walking across the room.?
The smoke coming from the dryer was too thick to see the fire extinguisher. Russ ran to the furnace room where he knew another one was located and told Jennifer to dial 911 while he extinguished the flames.
Immediately, she thought of her four children, ages 2 to 11, sleeping down the hall. As she approached their bedrooms, Oscar was already there, sitting patiently by the door.
‘I screamed for them to get up. I took them outside and put them in our minivan, where Oscar followed. We also have a new puppy that I had to pull out from under one of the beds,? said Jennifer.
After the family was safe outside, the Atlas Fire Department arrived about 10 minutes later. Five firefighters entered the house with hoses, fans to suck out smoke and fumes’extinguishing any remaining flames. They stayed until approximately 4 a.m. before the sweets given the ‘O.K? to go back in the house.
The floor in the laundry room needs to be replaced and the smell of smoke permeates the house. The Sweet’s aren’t concerned with that, they’re just happy to be alive.
‘I was so tired after cleaning. I was sleeping hard and thought Oscar just wanted to go out. He was nudging me repeatedly, almost biting my arm trying to tell me something. Had he not woke me up, I never would have smelled it,? said Jennifer.
Andrew Sweet, 7, said his pet dog Oscar is his hero.
‘I wasn’t scared. I just got in the car with the dog,? said Andrew.
The Sweet’s 10 -year-old, Zachary, said he was in fact scared.
‘The fire really freaked me out. I thought our house was going to burn down. It’s good that Oscar was here because he saved our lives.?
Jennifer said her husband and kids remained very calm during the fire, thanks to Oscar, who alerted them in time to prevent further damage.
‘Last year, we put in an invisible fence to keep him safe. How ironic that he’s the one who kept us safe. You just take those types of things for granted. I was thinking at about 4 a.m. that morning how my dog saved my family’s life, and I just couldn’t believe it.?
The family has not had the easiest of summers. The Sweet’s 2-year-old, Allison, fell off her swingset and sustained minor injuries. Soon after, Jennifer was treated for injuries to her left eye after a sharp object flew out from under the lawn mower.
‘They say everything comes in three’s. I’m just glad we have Oscar because I don’t even want to think of the other possibilities from this situation,? said Jennifer.
This 4-year-old family pet may now receive the royal treatment’permanently.