Rello, an American Bully, has been a hero to his fur dad on two occasions. Rello knew he had to act quickly when a raging fire tore through their home in the middle of the night.
Coy Freeman is the delighted owner of a litter of American Bully puppies. Coy Freeman had a home full of canine love, from 8-week-old puppies to 6-year-old Rello.
Because Coy Freeman is now blind, he relies on Rello to assist him with his everyday activities. Rello’s mornings always started with a gentle nudge on his arm, but this morning was different.
A forceful headbutt on the arm jolted Freeman awake on the couch. Rello snatched Freeman’s arm from beneath his muzzle and tossed it into the air, jolting him awake.
He couldn’t believe what he was seeing when he eventually awoke. Rello was frantically pawing at the front door as the room filled with smoke. Freeman and Rello set out on a mission to save as many of their furry family members as possible as burned wood began to fall from the ceiling.
“I took him, and as many puppies, as I could get my hands on, and we got them out the door.” — Freeman, Coy
Freeman snatched up as many puppies as he could and dashed to the street outside his house. The enormity of the issue became clear once he was outside. His street was packed with neighbors who had already evacuated their homes, demonstrating how many families had been affected by the fire.
Because of the unsafe conditions, Freeman was stopped by neighbors and firefighters as he was going to run back into his house for the rest of his pets. All Coy Freeman could do was watch as the firefighters entered his home one by one, hoping that they would emerge with dogs in their arms.
The terrible blaze that blasted through Freeman’s home took firefighters two hours and 45 pieces of equipment to put out. Everyone on the scene did everything they could to save as many of his pets as possible, but four of them died.
First responders donned oxygen masks on each dog rescued from the house, but several were unable to be saved. Four of Freeman’s cherished furry family members perished in the fire.
“It’s a tragedy.” After this, I’ll never be the same. I’m here in terms of health, but I’m not here in terms of mental health.” — Freeman, Coy
Rello had awoken his fur dad for the second time, this time to warn him of a nearby fire. A fire in a neighbor’s basement happened just two years ago, and Rello awoke his owner in the same frantic manner as he did for this tragedy.
Rello is responsible for Freeman’s survival, as well as the pups they were able to save from the burning house. We are grateful that Freeman and all of his neighbors were able to escape the fire unscathed.
We can’t imagine the anguish Freeman is feeling after losing so many of his beloved dogs. During this difficult period, we are sending him our best wishes.