SANTA CRUZ, Calif.-
A savvy Labradoodle has one lucky owner. Firefighters said Bella, a mix of poodle and Labrador retriever, saved the life of her owner Matt Carcerano on Monday, waking him before his Santa Cruz cottage went up in flames.
At 3:30 a.m. Bella woke Carcerano, a 32-year-old welder, with a combination of growling, whimpering and barking.
“It was weird. I was sound asleep and she made noises I’d never heard before,” Carcerano said. “I opened my eyes and it was just orange.”
The floor-to-ceiling wall heater in the 50-year-old, two-room cottage was on fire, and Carcerano rushed out in socks and pajamas just as the entire place went up in flames. All of his belongings were destroyed except for a few photo albums he was able to grab.
The cottage had no smoke detectors. Fire department battalion chief Mike Venezio called Bella a lifesaver.
Carcerano said he planned to take Bella for a two-hour romp on her favorite local beach, once he took care of some personal issues.
“I gotta go buy shoes,” he said.
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Information from: Santa Cruz Sentinel,
