The Chaichanhda family woke up to hear their pitbull puppy barking wildly at their back door. Once they realized what the problem was, they never expected the repercussions of the next few hours. Read on to find out how this pit bull saved the day, and more importantly, a life…
Sasha Senses
On June 3rd, Sasha the pit bull was just lounging out in the front yard of the Chaichanhda home. It was a hot day in Stockton, California, but things were about to heat up in a very big way…
Too Young
Sasha was only 8-months old. As a puppy, she was reckless and hyper, often tiring out the Chaichanhda family with her intense amounts of energy. they’d never complain about her activity ever again…
Heat Rises
The apartment building went up in flames without warning. Sasha, still laying out front, sprang quickly into action. The puppy had to get in there…
Fire Dog
Locked outside, the dog started by banging its head on the back door of the building. She whined and cried until Nana Chaichanhda came to the door, confused. What was going on?
A Saving Grace
Nana would recall this event later as one that could never be repaid. “Little did I know, Sasha would become my hero,” she wrote in a post. But there was still a family inside…
Confused and Alarmed
Nana greeted the dog at the back door, lost as to what was happening. Sasha didn’t waste time with formalities. She ran past Nana into the house. She had a mission…
Moving In
“She was trying to warn us of the fire. I got out of bed to see what was going on.” said Nana in her informative post “At that moment I opened the back door and Sasha ran into our home, straight into our bedroom“…
A Neighborhood Ruined
The entire building was up in flames. Her neighbor’s homes were all but destroyed. Who knew what would have happened if the family didn’t live on the first floor? Well, Nana’s cousin might have an idea…
Calling Her Cousin
Stressed, Nana called out to her cousin. She didn’t realize her relative wasn’t even in the house. She then had a realization. The baby was still in the fire…
Saving the Infant
In the cousin’s place, Sasha ran for the infant baby. What she saw in the room though, absolutely shocked her…
The Pitbull’s Promise
Nana saw the pit bull, Sasha, tugging the baby by the diaper. She was trying to save her delicately. The 7-month old was crying, and in the hot room, Nana was too…
A Scary Scene
“[Sasha] had already had my baby by the diaper and was dragging her off the bed. I was like, ‘Oh my gosh, what are you doing?'” she said of the chaotic scene.
Calling the Police
Nana called the police and carried the baby out of the building. Sasha had saved the day. Everyone was safe, but in some ways, it was too little too late…
Flaming Up
The flames reached all the way to the upper levels and the attic. Maybe, they thought while looking at the damage, maybe some of this was salvageable…
Ashes to Ashes
Sadly, the home was determined to be inhabitable. The flames took hold of the house, and they didn’t have the money to fix the massive damages. At least, not yet…
GoFundMe Funding
The family posted a GoFundMe page to raise the money for their desperately needed repairs. They had a minor amount of success on the site…
Raising Money
The page earned a little over $6,000, and a separate page dedicated to just their electricity earned $1,000. It was good, but not enough to sustain the family forever…
Waiting Things Out
For now, the family is staying in their nearby relative’s home and waiting for the building to be rebuilt. Nana is amazed at the story she lived firsthand…
Filled With Gratitude
“It meant a lot. I owe her everything,” said Nana of the incident “If it wasn’t for her, I would have still been in bed and things could have taken a worse turn.”
A Rare Chance
Nana also mentioned that the dog was rarely outside. It was just a chance, completely random, but their lives were forever saved thanks to the dog’s awareness…
Unknown Beginnings
It’s unclear what caused the fire, but thankfully, everyone is happy, healthy, and safe at the end of the day. Some dogs just have a natural sense for this sort of story…
Hank’s Story
On Twitter, one user chronicled the story of how his dog Hank saved his entire family from a fire, just like Sasha saved the Chaichanhda family. It all happened on one terrible night…
Awake With Hank
The owner was watching a movie while his wife and kids were fast asleep. It was a little alone time that was rudely interrupted by his golden retriever’s howls and barks. What was going on?
Seeing the Scene
He left the couch to the living room to see what the issue was, expecting to see food the dog wanted. What he saw instead, was something terrible in the backyard…
Glowing Orange
“As soon as I came around the corner,” said the user “I saw that the entire yard was glowing orange.” It was the shed on fire, and it was getting bigger…
Up in Flames
“The very large wooden work shed full of gasoline, paint, and God knows what else was blazing,” he wrote of the scene “The oaks were on fire. Flaming leaves and embers were blowing everywhere.” This was an emergency…
Rushing to Action
He woke up the family to alert them of the emergency and rang the police immediately. Everyone needed to get out, and fast…
The Fire Spreads
It wasn’t long until the fire took the backyard fence and neighbor’s sheds caught flame as well. Though the family was safe and far from flames, the fire grew threateningly large…
Authorities Arrive
The firefighters came in at a pivotal point, right as the flames started inching towards the family’s home. After a minute or two, things calmed down…
A Windy Night
The firefighters battled the inferno during a particularly windy night. The fire was covering two blocks of backyards and burning sheds. Things were getting out of hand…
Hank to Thank
Once the fire was stopped and everyone was saved, the family knew that Hank was the one who deserved the praise (and dog treats!) He was the saving grace of the home…
A Doggone Good Ending
“He can have all the shoes and steak he wants,” wrote the user of his savior pup “I will never get mad at him for barking, ever again.” The owner also had a bit of advice…
Get a Hank
He continued “[G]o check your smoke detectors right now because we don’t all have a Hank. And do something nice for a neighbor. And pet your doggos.” All good ideas!