|
OTIS |
Otis the Sheltie is owned by Reese Ferrell and her family. On February 18, 2009, she said goodnight to Otis and went to bed just like every other night. At about 2:00 in the morning, Reese and her family awoke to barking and whining from the laundry room, where Otis was settled. “It had been storming all day, so we assumed that he heard a stray limb fall or a crash of thunder. But the barking persisted,” she said. After a bit, her husband got out of bed to see what had the Sheltie so stirred up.
“He went towards the laundry room and got the shock of his life. There was smoke coming out of our ceiling vents–our house was on fire!” Reese added. “I scooped Otis up, and we began grabbing every picture that we could find.”
Reese and her family ran out the front door, only to look back and see their home engulfed in flames. The high winds from the storm made the fire difficult to squelch, but eventually the firemen stopped the flames, said Reese.
“We lost everything that night. Pictures, clothes, memories. Our house was reduced to a shell of wooden beams and soot. But our lives were spared, thanks to our hero dog!” said Reese. “If Otis had not barked so insistently that night, we could have possibly slept through the flames and lost our lives. Possessions are replaceable, but lives are not. And neither are dogs like Otis! He saved our lives that night and for that he will always be an inspiration to us, and we will hail him as our hero.”
