Mesa woman credits dog with alerting her to fire

MESA, Ariz. (KSAZ) - A Mesa woman says her dog saved her life after alerting her when her home was on fire. That fire also damaged her parents house, and the woman's dad is a retired Mesa Fire Department Batallion Chief.

"When I got to the gate the neighbors took the two cages, I turned around and called them, and they didn't come back up there," said Judy Waters.

Waters said once her chihuahua and bird were safe, she knew she had to run back into her burning home to save the other two dogs, especially Jules who had saved her just minutes ago.

"As I'm carrying her I'm looking at it just rolling into the arcadia door and thought oh my gosh this is how people die," said Judy.

"I noticed the flames in the backyard, I opened the door, and they were quite big, I dialed 9-1-1, and Judy came out with her dogs," said Stephen Waters.

It was just after 11 Wednesday night when Stephen who is a retired chief from Mesa Fire ran out to make sure his daughter who lives above his garage was ok. It turns out her Portuguese water dog did the same thing.

"It was a very high-pitched bark bark bark, I heard her skid, turn around, come back in and bark," said Judy.

"If she were in her kennel she would have laid there and slept through it, I would have heard her whine, and I would have ignored her," she said.

"I've been to lots of house fires, this is the only one like this that was mine," said Stephen.

The family is devastated, the house has major smoke damage, and Judy's home was destroyed. Everyone is shaken up, but they know they can rebuild and are grateful they survived.