A pitbull died after reportedly saving a 15-year-old girl’s life during a massive house fire in Texas on New Year’s Eve.
Jennifer Oleniczak and her husband woke up to a loud banging noise around 11:30 at night, according to KRIS News. Oleniczak and her husband barely made it out of the house before it was totally engulfed.
A Texas family’s house burned down on New Year’s Eve and they’re calling what happened next a miracle. One of their family’s beloved pets saved their daughter’s life at the cost of its own.https://t.co/VwVA3d6CLO
— ABC 7 Amarillo (@ABC7Amarillo) January 12, 2023
Oleniczak saved her Shih Tzus and six puppies along the way, reported KRIS News. She had to throw the puppies onto her patio to get them to safety.
Once the family was outside, Oleniczak’s daughter Jaylee said, “Ollie, Ollie woke me up,” KRIS News reported.
Ollie is the family’s pitbull and had woken Jaylee up to alert her of the fire, the outlet reported.
“He was my hero, he saved my daughter’s life. He was the best dog in the world,” Oleniczak said, according to KRIS News. (RELATED: Officer’s Bodycam Captures Moment He Pulls Frightened Dog From Burning Car)
Ollie was nowhere to be found after the fire, reported KRIS News. The family posted on social media, went to shelters, and checked the burnt house and could not find him.
“And my husband went in and he found him right at my daughter’s bedside. At the foot of her bed like he collapsed from the smoke inhalation,” Oleniczak said, KRIS News reported. “And I just want to give him a big hug because had he not gone in there, Jaylee would have died.”
In total, the family lost seven dogs in the fire and four were saved, according to KRIS News.