Dog Hero Wakes Family After House Catches Fire

Family and friends had urged Paul Busto to get rid of that mutt, most recently when he had to shell out $200 because Bruno needed eye surgery. That dog is just too much trouble, they said.

But Bruno was a hero Thursday, credited with saving his owners’ family and a house guest from a fire that gutted the living room of their Anaheim apartment.

“I’m never, never going to get rid of him,” said Busto’s wife, Laurie Stewart, 40, who sobbed as she clutched the dog. “He saved our lives.”

Bruno’s owners were asleep just before 3 a.m. Thursday, as were their two children and an out-of-town guest, when the dog began barking frantically.

“Bruno went off, and started scratching the [bedroom] door,” said Busto, a 33-year-old martial arts instructor. Busto then realized that the house was on fire. The adults grabbed their children and the dog and fled the flames. “Bruno must have smelled the smoke,” Busto said.

Fire authorities said the blaze apparently originated in a trash can on a patio just outside the living room. The flames spread to the attic, and destroyed the family’s living room and part of their kitchen. The roof of the apartment unit was also destroyed. The cause of the fire is under investigation.

The brown-and-black Rottweiler-chow mix was still sooty and worn out Thursday from the early morning ordeal, but he had enough energy to play with several toys that a local pet store had donated for the hero. His owners spoiled him with dogs biscuits and a special lamb-and-rice meal.

“Lamb and rice is his favorite,” Busto said. “He’s an amazing dog. If we didn’t have him, the circumstances would have been a lot worse.”