Heroic Dog Won’t Stop Barking Until He Saves His Family And Their Home From Fire.

hank hero dog

All dogs are good boys or girls, but golden retriever Hank deserves a few extra treats.

Hank’s dad, Twitter user Ulysses, shared a story on the social platform about the time, six years ago, when a much younger Hank irritated his family by chewing up a brand-new pair of shoes. As irritating as that moment was for Ulysses and his wife, it’s a great reminder never to judge our dogs by those youthful dalliances. After all, someday that furry friend might do something that’s far more important than a silly pair of shoes.


Twitter

“My wife got a reminder yesterday that 6 years ago Hank ate her brand new slip-on Vans. Look at that guilty pup. Come on, Hank,” Ulysses began in his Twitter thread. He explained that his wife was online when this photo of their guilty-looking pup popped up, reminding her of how furious she’d been about losing her new pair of sneakers. Later that same night the family was relaxing at home when Hank, now six years older and wiser than his shoe-eating days, began to bark.

Ulysses says he was watching a movie when the dog began barking, and no matter how many times the family told him to pipe down or else he’d wake the kids the dog refused to quit. Finally, Ulysses got up and peered outside to see what had gotten Hank so worked out, and that’s when he saw it. Fire – and it was everywhere.


Pixabay

“As soon as I came around the corner, I saw that the entire yard was glowing orange,” he recalled. “The very large wooden work shed full of gasoline, paint, and God knows what else was blazing. The oaks were on fire. Flaming leaves and embers were blowing everywhere.”

Ulysses and his wife frantically woke their sleeping children and escorted all people and pets from the building, dialing 911 in the process. When the fire destroyed their neighbor’s fence they ran to wake that family up as well, rescuing another sleeping child, her mother, and their dog as first responders raced to the scene. The fire was just beginning to touch the back of his house when firefighters arrived and began putting out the blaze.


Twitter

Ulysses says the back of his home is still standing thanks to his attentive dog, the very same Hank who once made his family’s naughty list all those years ago.

“A minute or two more, and it was gone,” he wrote. “Instead, everyone is safe, and we still have a house. It’s black and crispy on one side, but it’s totally intact. The firefighters were absolutely amazing. It was windy, so they had to contain and deal with this for two adjacent blocks. Just totally, unbelievably skilled and coordinated.”

Ulysses says Hank is now entitled to eat “all the shoes and steak he wants” and vows to never get mad at him for barking again.


Twitter

After Ulysses’ tweet thread went viral online he took the opportunity to remind everyone to check their smoke detectors “because we don’t all have a Hank.”

“And do something nice for a neighbor,” he added. “And pet your doggos. Ok, thanks.” Soon the people of the internet were sending words of love and praise for this ultimate good boy. One person even sent him a flameless candle (good choice!) that was personalized to honor Hank’s heroism!


Twitter

Ulysses says Hank and his other dog, Willie, are missing their backyard but are otherwise back to normal after the big family drama. We’re so happy to hear that there was no big damage to this family’s home, and we couldn’t be more proud of Hank for refusing to be quiet when he knew there was danger nearby. Extra belly rubs for this guy!

Please share this story to remind others to check their smoke detectors – and always listen to your dog!


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