Prada the Dog Acted as the '4 Legged Hero' Her Family Needed
A poodle in Florida has breathed new life into the old saying that a dog is “man’s best friend.”
Authorities said a fire broke out inside the kitchen of a family’s home near Lake Nona on Feb. 11, according to WKMG-TV. The origin of the blaze is under investigation.
Despite extensive damage to the home, the actions of the family’s 1-year-old furry friend ensured that help arrived in time to prevent the damage from being catastrophic.
#Housefire Near Lake Nona at Wyndham Lakes Blvd. No injuries reported, but this 4 legged hero, Prada, saved the day. She alerted her owners via their Ring camera that there was a problem as she was the only one in the house at the time of the fire. pic.twitter.com/VjKtuvRWHy
— OCFire Rescue (@OCFireRescue) February 11, 2021
“#Housefire Near Lake Nona at Wyndham Lakes Blvd. No injuries reported, but this 4 legged hero, Prada, saved the day,” Firefighters with Orange County Fire Rescue tweeted on the day of the incident. “She alerted her owners via their Ring camera that there was a problem as she was the only one in the house at the time of the fire.”
Prada’s owners were at work when the fire began. Without any other way to warn them, the poodle set off the security camera’s motion alert by barking loudly in the kitchen.
“We got the motion alert. When we saw the camera, she was barking in the kitchen. She never does that,” Nestor Gonzalez, one of the dog’s owners, told WKMG.
When the family checked the footage, however, they couldn’t see the reason for Prada’s incessant barking. Gonzalez ignored it until a second alert demanded his attention about 30 minutes later.
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That was when Prada’s family saw video of the smoke that had caused her to panic.
“Everything was smokey and it was cloudy inside, so we couldn’t see anything,” said Americo Ledezma, another of Prada’s owners.
As Gonzalez and Ledezma rushed to the house, the damage caused by the fire wasn’t their only concern.
“All we can think about was Prada, hoping she was OK. Material stuff, you can always replace. But her life, that’s something you can’t replace,” Gonzalez said.
Aside from soot covering her fluffy white fur, Prada was unharmed when firefighters arrived and carried her out of the burning home, according to WKMG.
While it is fortunate that the hero of the day survived, the story of Prada’s family had a bittersweet ending.
It will take at least six months before repairs on their house are completed. The family set up a GoFundMe to help cover those expenses, which they estimate will be over $100,000.
“Everything’s gone. All the hard work, everything we have done,” Gonzalez told WKMG. “We have to start all over again. It’s so frustrating seeing everything devastated like it is inside.”
In the meantime, the pair are staying with a nearby family. Still, Prada’s owners said they are grateful the situation is not as bleak as it could have been.
“The good part is that it’s material. I’m glad that we are OK and that Prada is OK,” Ledezma said.
While it is a blessing that no one was hurt, Gonzalez and Ledezma have an additional grace in Prada, an easy contender for the title of “world’s greatest dog.”
This article appeared originally on The Western Journal.
