Most dog breeds are very protective of their own and of their human owners, and the following story is a perfect example of that. It also perfectly shows why the phrase “a dog is a man’s best friend” is nothing less but the whole truth. They are loyal, affectionate, and will stop at nothing to protect their family.
It wouldn’t be the first time that a four-footer saved a family from a burning building, but this story is definitely a bit more special.
Meet Maxx, an adorable senior dog who is a retired police K9 that saved two small children at the risk of his own life.
Maxx is a German Shepherd, a breed that is known to be an excellent candidate for police dog training.
The four-footer from Longwood, Florida was an amazing K9 and his human partners have very fond memories of him.
After a couple of years of service, Maxx retired from the force – but that certainly didn’t mean that being a police officer wasn’t in his DNA anymore.
In the middle of the night, a loud explosion occurred at the family’s home, and the house was engulfed in flames not much later.
The neighbors heard the loud explosion and immediately called the emergency services for help. After their phone call with 911, they figured that they wouldn’t wait until the firefighters showed up and the neighbors ran towards the home to see if there was anyone who they could help.
The neighbors actually spotted mom, Margo, at her window and were able to cut her window open.
Margo was able to make it out- but her two toddlers, aged 2 and 4, were still trapped inside along with their dad.
Margo actually works at the Seminole County Sheriff’s Department as an investigator and has seen her dog Maxx in action as a police dog first-hand.
Mom wanted to get back into the house immediately. At this point, though, the firefighters had already arrived at the scene.
“Her primary concern was to get in there and to rescue her children.” She’s an absolute trooper. She’s a hero within our organization and her actions tonight demonstrate that behavior. We’re very proud of her,” Chief Deputy Dennis Lemma said of her co-worker.
However, Margo had no choice but to stand back and watch how the firefighters attempted to rescue her family still stuck inside.
Maxx, however, wasn’t too keen on sitting back- he immediately ran into the burning house.
The retired service dog didn’t even hesitate, it was just his police training and a protective instinct that kicked in right away.
The brave four-footer had quite a difficult task ahead of him, as the smoke was heavy and made navigating the home incredibly difficult. However, Maxx worked together with the firefighters to locate the two young toddlers and their dad.
Thanks to Maxx’s quick reaction, the firefighters were able to find all three and get them to safety quickly.
The entire family wasn’t out of the woods just yet – Margo didn’t suffer from a lot of injuries as she was rescued by the neighbors sooner. However, both her husband and the two kids were injured by the smoke and the flames, and all three of them needed to go to the hospital right away.
Unfortunately, Maxx himself was also in dire need of medical attention. He was suffering from smoke inhalation and was rushed to a local specialized veterinarian clinic.
The pooch’s condition did improve not long after, and it doesn’t seem like he’ll have any lasting effects. However, things could’ve gone much, much worse.
In fact, the family believes that they would’ve died if it wasn’t for their dog’s intervention.
What an absolutely amazing hero dog!
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