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A German shepherd, like this one above, alerted a sleeping Florida man his mobile home was on fire and saved his life.
A Vietnam veteran diagnosed with cancer would have perished in a fire at his mobile home if not for his 1-year-old German shepherd, a fire official said.
The Port Richey Fire Department responded to a fire after 10 a.m. Saturday that completely destroyed a mobile home in the city along the west coast of the state and about 40 minutes north of Tampa, Lt. Tim Sirois told the Daily News Sunday.
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The man, whose name has not been released, was sleeping in his bedroom when a fire started in the living room, Sirois said. The homeowner, who is in his early 60s and has been diagnosed with cancer, was saved when his 1-year-old German Shepard Trooper started scratching on the locked door and woke her master up, he said.
The victim opened the door, saw the fire and fled out the front door with his companion right behind him. The fire spread through the unit quickly and it was totally engulfed by the time firefighters arrived, Sirois said.
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The two were not injured.
“Without her, he would have been toast,” according to Sirois. “With the way things were (from the fire), it would have been too much for him.”
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The trailer is deemed a complete loss and the owner lost all of his possessions, except the clothes on his back and his best friend Trooper, Sirois said. But he told authorities he was grateful for what his pet did.
The cause of the fire is unknown and currently under investigation by the state Fire Marshall.
“It was amazing how the dog did everything,” Sirois said.
jlandau@nydailynews.com Follow on Twitter @joelzlandau
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