An Iowa truck driver’s family owes their lives to a stray dog that they found wandering on the interstate.
According to the Des Moines Register, Isaac and Angela Fullmer rescued and adopted a stray dog that they found wandering along I-235 well over a year ago. They named the mixed breed pup Capone.
Around 1:30 a.m. on March 15, Isaac was on the road while Angela and her nine children were fast asleep at their home in Des Moines. Suddenly, Capone began frantically barking. Angela scolded the dog for barking and waking their three month old baby. But Capone refused to come to Angela and refused to be quiet.
Beginning to suspect that something was amiss, Angela followed Capone into the kitchen and realized that a fire had started near the microwave. She grabbed the car keys and sprang into action, waking and gathering all 9 children, ranging in ages from 12 years old to three months old. Within five minutes, she called 911 and had all nine children out of the house and loaded up into the car.
Angela wrote in a March 15 Facebook post, “I realized after all was said and done from the time we got everyone out of the house to the time we had them in the cars and driving away from the house it was literally five minutes. The fire alarm didn’t go off for the first couple when the fire was already a good way through the kitchen and dining room. If Capone had not barked and insisted I listen to him it would have been so much less time to get everyone out. But everyone got out. Even the dogs.”
The family lost everything in the fire, but their community has banded together to help them with clothing and other necessities.
The former stray turned hero dog has been entered into the American Humane Hero Dog Awards contest. The results will be announced March 17.