Family Surprised by Animal Shelter After Fire Destroys Home & Nearly All Their Belongings
In November 2017, Laura Smith and her family weren’t looking to adopt a new pet. But the moment she spotted Chrome, a year-and-a-half old Pointer Terrier mix, everything changed.
“It was one of those instant connections. He looked up at me with those great big brown eyes and all I could think was I need to take you home,” Smith explained.
Little did Smith and her family know, even though they’d rescued Chrome, he would be the one to save them just a few months down the road.
On March 4, 2018, something told Smith not to put Chrome in his kennel that night — and her instincts were right.
Around 1 a.m., he woke her up, but at first, she thought he just needed to go outside to the bathroom.
But when she followed him out of her bedroom, Smith soon realized that the house was on fire.
“Something said don’t kennel him, just keep him in the bedroom with you. And I’m glad I did, because that’s what woke me up. If I had kenneled him, I wouldn’t of known that there was a fire,” she said.
Chrome ran down the hallway and woke Smith’s two young boys to help get them out of the house to safety.
“He stayed with me until I realized the house was on fire and then took off down our hallway to get the boys and helped the boys out and to safety,” Smith explained. “Without Chrome, I think there would be no us today.”
While the family was able to escape the fire unharmed thanks to Chrome’s actions, their home did not make it through. With significant fire damage and many lost possessions, the family had no choice but to find another home.
A local church offered the family housing during their difficult transition. When the Bastrop County Animal Shelter (where the family got Chrome) heard the Smith’s story, they knew they needed to lend a hand as well.
“I let [the shelter volunteers] know what had happened with Chrome and that he was a hero and we all were texting back feverishly and [saying], ‘Oh my God we got to help them,'” explained full-time shelter volunteer Anna Watson.
So the shelter decided to set up an online fundraiser for Chrome and his family, giving them nearly $1,000 to help them get back on their feet. They also thanked Chrome with plenty of treats, dog food, and a certificate for his “heroic acts of bravery and love.”
“You know I rescued him and he saved us and that’s special,” Smith said of Chrome’s heroism.
“He’s definitely my hero right there, he’s a good dog.”
When asked what others could do to help her family, Smith simply asked that potential new pet owners turn to their local animal shelters for a new furry friend.
“Don’t shop: adopt,” she said. “There are tons of dogs that need a loving home that will return that love a million times over.”
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