I probably would not have known about Spanky's heroics without a call about a month ago from Alexis & Sam, Spanky's new owners. Alexis called needing copies of Spanky's medical records since they'd suffered a home fire & lost everything! According to Alexis who works from home, Spanky had been lying at her feet for the afternoon, when he became quite agitated & wanted Alexis to get up & go outside. Knowing that it was almost 'quitting time' & also knowing that Spanky had been out earlier in the afternoon, Alexis wasn't in a hurry to leave. When Spanky wouldn't stop his endeavors to make her go outside, she put on her tennis shoes & off they went. They returned from a short walk to find the house ablaze. Investigators of the scene later told Alexis that the fire, which was electrical in nature & spread very quickly, probably started no more than five minutes after Spanky & Alexis left for their walk. Somehow Spanky knew. Perhaps it was a case of that extra sensitive canine nose but whatever it was, Alexis is giving all the credit to Spanky for his actions. When I spoke with Alexis, she, Sam & Spanky were living in a hotel temporarily & her words were 'that boy saved my life'! We'll try to keep you updated on how things are going for the family down in Atlanta.

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Great news from Alexis & Sam, who adopted Spanky (now Cheo) from TOES last year. Spanky proved himself a hero by alerting Alexis of an immenient fire which destroyed their home. According to Alexis, the family is now safely back in a brand new house with Spanky a much loved member of their family. This story just proves how important our dogs are to us! All the best to Alexis, Sam & Cheo in the New Year!

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