Praise for little dog who saved her owner from blaze

[Crossfire Bulldogs]

MICHAEL BLACKLEY AND JANE BRADLEY - Scotsman News.

A TWO-YEAR OLD dog has been hailed a hero after raising the alarm when fire spread through kennels in Dalkeith.

Seven animals were killed when the blaze ripped through the Dalkeith Cattery on Lauder Road.

But owner Evelyn Smail was saved from the blaze after being awoken by her Pomeranian dog Cleo.

Staff at the cattery say that the actions of the dog saved the lives of the owner and 19 other animals.

Cleo is one of 20 showdogs owned by Ms Smail, who was awoken by the sound of the dog's barking in the early hours of yesterday morning.

As a result of the noise, she discovered the blaze, which was tearing through a new extension to the cattery and approaching her own home.

She then risked her own safety by saving five of the seven cats that were boarding at the cattery.

Firefighters told her that the blaze appeared to have been burning for some time and was within 15 minutes of spreading to the roof of her home.

Although Ms Smail was too upset to talk today, Sheila Grey, a volunteer at the cattery, said: "She was awoken when one of the show dogs started barking madly. Ms Smail got out of bed at 1.55am, thinking the dog needed to go to the toilet.

"She looked out her back window to find that the building was acutely ablaze and immediately called the fire brigade.

"She then ran outside to the adjacent cattery buildings and rescued five boarding cats on the premises.

"Another two cats had been overcome by the fumes and couldn't be saved."

Five of Ms Smail's own dogs perished in the fire, as well as two of the boarding cats.

It remains unclear how and when the fire started, although there was no sign of any problems when Ms Smail had last visited the building, at around 10.50pm on Saturday night.

It is believed that the heating system in the building has been cleared and was not the cause of the fire.

Ms Grey, who said that staff at the cattery had been inundated by previous customers looking to pass on condolences, admitted that if it wasn't for the showdog Cleo, a much bigger disaster could have occurred.

She said: "The fumes had already attached themselves to the side of the house. Ms Smail would have been a goner if the dog had not raised the alarm. She owes her life to that dog.

"It was a terrible, tragic thing that happened. But it could have been even more terrible if it wasn't for this dog.

"If it wasn't for the owner putting her own life at risk there would have been many more animals dead.

"She's absolutely devastated. Animals are her life - she's not married and it's terrible for her that some of them have died."

The annex building that caught fire had only been built in November, but it is now likely that it will need to be demolished, such is the extent of the damage.

But the main cattery building has remained undamaged, so staff are making attempts to continue to provide the usual service.

DS Mike Wynne, of Dalkeith Police Station, said: "As a result of the fire within one of the kennel blocks five dogs and two cats have perished. Due to the quick actions of the kennel proprietors the rest of the animals were saved."