I dread to think what might have happened if Monty, our Newfoundland dog hadn't rescued us from fire
A heroic dog transformed into a smoke detector after sniffing out and rescuing his owners from a potential tragedy.
As a faulty microwave billowed smoke and threatened to consume his owners’ kitchen with fire and a possible explosion, Monty the Newfoundland was quick to alert Craig and Julie Saul to the danger at their home in Chipping, near Preston.
Julie had put a food item in the microwave, as she had done hundreds of times before and headed into the lounge with a hot drink.
However, within seconds, Monty was barking for his owners to return to the kitchen and as Julie followed him, she was horrified to see smoke cascading from the back of the microwave.
She called husband Craig and he promptly dealt with the danger while Julie opened all the windows, allowing the smoke to clear.
She told reporter Tony Durkin that there was no doubt in her mind that the beloved pooch saved them.
She said: “We are so proud of him. There is no doubt he saved the kitchen from considerable damage and probably saved us too.
"I dread to think what might have happened if Monty hadn’t spotted the smoke and alerted us.
“As it was, it was quickly dealt with and we didn’t even need to call the fire brigade.”
Monty, a four-year-old welfare dog Craig and Julie have owned since he was a few months old, has been a member of Blackpool Working Newfoundlands, since he was two years old after Craig and Julie spotted it advertised.
The group is a paramedic-led one of giant Newfoundland Water Rescue Dogs whose primarily aim to improve water safety awareness, prevent death by drowning, and act as fundraising ambassadors for charity. It practises at Wyresdale Park in Scorton from April,
Kris Schofield, chairman and senior Instructor of Blackpool Working Newfoundlands and a state-registered paramedic, said: “Monty has been a member since the group was established.
"Monty would normally focus his lifesaving efforts on practicing in-water rescue techniques for the recovery of drowning victims, so to say we were surprised to learn Monty can now also claim real world fire rescue experience is an understatement.”