Fillmore the dog is the internet\u2019s newest hero after waking up his family in Tustin to alert them of a fire that was raging in their garage, likely saving three lives, as well as his own.<\/p>\n
At about 4:20 a.m. Wednesday, the Dalis family was asleep until their 3-year-old German shorthaired pointer began barking urgently from his unlocked crate in the master bedroom, according to homeowners Eleni and Tom Dalis.<\/p>\n
\u201cThere was no quieting him,\u201d Eleni, 62, said, noting the dog barked relentlessly for several minutes. She knew it meant danger: \u201cAt first I thought it was a coyote.\u201d<\/p>\n
Eleni then looked out of her bedroom window to see a \u201cstrong red glow\u201d in the direction of the neighbor\u2019s house, from where she initially thought the fire was coming. But when she entered her kitchen, she saw sparks shooting from the ceiling and her own garage engulfed in flames.<\/p>\n
She rushed to wake up her 90-year-old mother, who lives in the home. Tom and Eleni then sprayed the fire with garden hoses to prevent the blaze from spreading to the home until the fire department arrived.<\/p>\n
According to Eleni, Fillmore almost always sleeps through the night. \u201cIf he didn\u2019t wake us up, we would have lost the house,\u201d she said.<\/p>\n
The family\u2019s three cars and two electric bikes that were parked in the heavily damaged garage were \u201ccompletely unrecognizable,\u201d she said. The cause of the fire is still unknown.<\/p>\n
During the frenzy of the fire, Fillmore had apparently run out of his unlocked crate and was later found hiding in the 90-year-old\u2019s bedroom, shaking.<\/p>\n
When he was brought outside, firefighters were waiting to greet the family\u2019s hero. \u201cThey were all over him,\u201d Eleni said. \u201cHe was definitely feeling the love.\u201d<\/p>\n
She describes Fillmore as an extremely smart pup, well-trained and a hunter by nature. When he was a puppy, he attended obedience classes.<\/p>\n