Diego the Heroic Dog Saved from Burning Home After Alerting Owner To Fire

Give this good boy all the treats.
By Jessica Comstock June 08, 2021 Advertisement Pin FB More Tweet Email Send Text Message Print
Black Lab dog getting petted Credit: Danielle D. Hughson / Getty

A heroic dog is credited with alerting his owner to a fire in their Pennsylvania home Saturday—just before he was stranded in a smoke-filled bedroom until firefighters arrived.

When the fire broke out in his New Castle home, Waddy Moses had no idea, according to KDKA. He was in the bathroom when his pup, Diego, looked up at him and barked. Moses sensed that something was wrong. When he peeked out the door, the hallway was full of smoke.

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Moses tried to hold tight onto Diego's collar as the pair attempted to escape. But in the midst of the thick smoke, Diego pulled loose and ran into one of the bedrooms. Moses left the burning house, but Diego didn't follow.

Once outside, Moses' first thought was to save his pooch.

"I yelled at my neighbor to get a ladder. I put it up on a second-story roof, broke the windows, tried to go in, and there was smoke everywhere," Moses told KDKA.

Unable to find his best friend, Moses felt helpless. 

"I thought I'd lost him," Moses told the TV station.

This loss was likely unimaginable for Moses, as just two months prior he lost his beloved pup Reo to cancer. After Reo died, Moses visited the Beaver County Humane Society where he found Diego. KDKA reported Diego looked similar to Reo, and within minutes of meeting, Moses knew he had to adopt him.

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When firefighters arrived, they found Diego on the floor of one of the bedrooms. They quickly brought the pup outside and began giving him oxygen to recover from the smoke. After a few hectic minutes, Diego awoke. KDKA reported the pooch was a bit wobbly on his feet but very much alive.

"Everything else can be replaced," Moses told KDKA. "My dog's OK. That's all that counts."