A Colorado family lost their home to a fire Aug. 14, but their lives were saved when the family dog reportedly alerted them to the danger. The dog did not make it.
Suzanne Elkins and her husband, Victor, told 9NEWS their family home and dog were gone. They were able to escape the massive fire thanks to their beloved dog, Cuddles, who was found under a bed a few days later.
“Sound asleep,” Elkins, from Jefferson County, reportedly said. “Cuddles hopped on Victor’s chest and barked in his face to wake him up to let us know that there was a danger.”
“Victor went back in and searched for her with all the smoke and flames and that’s how he burned his foot by running out and we did not know what happened to Cuddles then,” Elkins told 9NEWS. “I think it’s hard on all of us.”
UPDATE: Ward Way fire- the video below was taken by a neighbor a few minutes before firefighters arrived on scene. The flames were visible from several blocks away. The dog that alerted her owners to the fire is still missing. Our crews searched the home several times, but did… https://t.co/7wTfRjxioW pic.twitter.com/e8qv8iaSmg
— WestMetroFire (@WestMetroFire) August 14, 2024
It is believed Cuddles passed away from smoke inhalation. The dog belonged to Elkins’s 13-year-old grandson, Coley. (RELATED: Two Officers Shot As Suspect Allegedly Sparks House Fire Caught On Video, Officials Say)
The dog appears to be some kind of Chihuahua mix.
Friends and family started a GoFundMe to help offset the costs of losing their home. The West Metro Fire Department is still investigating what caused the fire to start on the back porch of the house.