This woman and her baby are alive because their heroic dog saved them from a fire

Sasha the pit bull just may be a real-life Lassie.

When an apartment building in Stockton, California, caught fire, the 8-month-old puppy sprang into action to warn her owners about the impending danger.

The dog was outside and began barking and banging on the door, prompting her owner, Nana Chaichanhda, to open it and discover the flames coming from the next unit, which happened to be her cousin’s apartment in the fourplex.

Chaichanhda quickly raced to get her 7-month-old  daughter, Masailah, from the bedroom, but Sasha was already on the case. The dog was trying to drag the baby to safety by her diaper.

The dog’s heroic actions caught the attention of the local news, and KCRA reporter Tom Miller shared this sweet photo of Sasha and Masailah together on Twitter:

Chaichanhda says her dog and baby have a close connection, and even take baths and sleep together.

Miller also shared this footage of the blaze that could have claimed their lives:

Luckily, all three made it out of the building unharmed.

Chaichanhda’s cousin was not home at the time of the blaze, but their home is now destroyed. In the wake of her ordeal, Chaichanhda is grateful that her faithful pup was there to save the day.

Christine White/GoFundMe

“It meant a lot. I owe her everything,” she told Fox 40. “If it wasn’t for her, I would have still been in bed and things could have taken a worse turn.”

A GoFundMe page has been set up by Chaichanhda’s sister, Christine White, to help them start their lives over in a new home and help pay for expenses like food and clothing while they attempt to rebuild everything they lost. The cause of the fire is still under investigation.

We’re so glad that this hero pup was there to make sure everyone survived! If you have pets in the house, take these steps to ensure their safety in the event of a fire.

Rescue Dog Sniffs Out Skin Cancer On Owner’s Nose

Dogs are amazing creatures, no doubt.

Anyone who has walked a dog even once knows how powerful the animal’s sense of smell is. It’s their primary way of exploring and learning about the world around them. It also means they sniff every single fire hydrant, tree, spot of dirt and pup they encounter.

For one dog owner in Buffalo, New York, that powerful nose turned out to be a serious blessing.

Lauren Gauthier’s treeing Walker coonhound’s keen sense of smell alerted the woman to skin cancer on her nose. After her adopted pup, Victoria, fixated on her nose more than once, she went to the doctor.

walker coonhound photo
Getty Images | Astrid Stawiarz

“She started smelling a specific area of my nose to the extent that she would actually touch her nose to mine where the cancer is and lean back and look at me and smell it again and look at me,” Gauthier recently told “Inside Edition.”

Gauthier adopted Victoria less than a year ago and the dog has no specific training to detect illnesses. In fact, Victoria only has one eye—but that apparently doesn’t hold her nose back! Gauthier’s dermatologist confirmed the pup was on to something: a basal cell carcinoma on her owner’s nose. According to “Inside Edition,” she’s since had surgery to successfully remove the cancer.

Victoria’s find should come as no surprise, as hounds are the superstar sniffers of the dog world.

walker coonhound photo
Getty Images | Astrid Stawiarz

RELATED: If You’ve Dreamed Of Traveling The Country With Your Dogs, This Van Is For You

Doctor’s Best Friend

There have been plenty of instances of dogs detecting and alerting their humans to cancers and other medical conditions.

“The idea that dogs can sniff out and detect different types of cancers is a poorly understood but well-documented phenomenon,” Joshua Zeichner, director of cosmetic and clinical research in dermatology at Mount Sinai Hospital in New York City, shared with Allure. “There are several cases of dogs actually licking or paying attention to specific lesions on their owners’ skin.”

dog smelling photo
Flickr | Tim Fenn

But how do they do it? It seems dogs are able to sniff out chemicals released by a range of different cancers, including bladder, lung and breast.

This theory is nothing new. Dogs in one 2006 study sniffed out breast and lung cancers, with about 90 percent accuracy, by smelling patients’ breath. Research is ongoing to confirm exactly what chemicals dogs can smell and how doctors can train them to specifically detect certain diseases.

In the meantime, it’s a good idea to follow your dog’s nose.

Has your pup ever sniffed out anything interesting?

Animals, Good News, Pets
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About the Author
Kate Streit
Kate Streit lives in Chicago. She enjoys stand-up comedy, mystery novels, memoirs, summer and pumpkin spice anything. Visit Scripps News to see more of Kate's work.

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