Labrador Retriever Saves Family During House Fire By “Banging On The Doors”

A Maryland family is safe thanks to their loyal Labrador retriever who alerted them that their house was on fire.

An electrical fire started in the basement of the home and as soon as the family’s eight-year-old dog named Molly saw the smoke she started to alert everyone in the house.

Molly’s dad, Charles Miller, shared with WUSA9 that his wife was taking care of their 14-month-old granddaughter upstairs when Molly started “banging on the doors”.

“When Molly starts banging on the doors with her paws, you know something is wrong,” Miller said. He also shared that the fire alarms never went off. Everyone made it out of the house without injury thanks to Molly.

The strong dog was reportedly “yanking” at her mother to get her safely out of the house.

Montgomery County Fire and Rescue Service arrived on scene and a total of 45 county firefighters responded to the fire. Spokesperson for the department, Pete Piringer shared photos on X and said that the neighborhood was experiencing a power outage at the time of the fire.

Update – Green Pasture Dr., North Farm, single family house, electrical fire in basement, neighborhood had experienced a power outage, apparently dog alerted occupants prior to smoke alarm activation, everybody got out, no injury, 1 family displaced, damage significant (>$200K) pic.twitter.com/EumkIAjlQQ

— Pete Piringer (@mcfrsPIO) April 15, 2024

The family was displaced from their home that has over $200,000 worth of damage but are in high spirits thanks to their hero dog who saved their lives.

“I am blessed,” Miller said. “You know, material stuff don’t mean nothing to us. And it will all get rebuilt and it will all be forgotten in a year from now.”

Molly was bred and trained to be a guide dog for the blind but failed one test. Her family is so grateful to have her in their lives. What a good girl!

Just another way that dogs literally save our lives. Head to your local shelter and adopt your new best friend.

Fire Safety

Everyone should test their fire alarms once a month to ensure they are properly working, according to the National Fire Protection Association. “Just push the test button once to make sure you hear the loud beep, beep, beep sound. That means it’s working. If it doesn’t sound, then change its battery or, if the unit is over 10 years old, replace the entire unit.” Learn more fire safety tips here.