MANILA, PHILIPPINES — In an incredible display of heroism, a four-month-old Belgian Malinois named Princess saved her owner’s daughter from a burning house in General Santos City on April 20.
According to a viral post by veterinarian Jacquiline Rufino Madi, Princess, and her owner’s family were awakened by a fire in their home. While everyone was rushing out of the house, Princess kept barking at her owner, trying to get her attention.
When Princess finally caught her owner’s attention, she ran back into the burning house. Her owner followed the dog and was shocked to find out that her five-year-old daughter was still inside, deeply asleep.
“For some reason, Princess wouldn’t stop barking at her owner as if she is telling them something. When this puppy finally caught her owner’s attention, she immediately ran back inside the burning house,” said Madi.
“Her owner was shocked but straight away followed the dog inside the burning and almost collapsing house. Only to find out that the owner’s daughter, a five-year-old child, was still inside, deeply asleep.”
An Update on Princess
Thanks to Princess’s actions, everyone survived the fire, but the heroic puppy suffered burns.
Madi reported that Princess’s face and four legs, particularly her pads, were severely affected. Fortunately, Princess is now safe and recovering from her injuries with the help of A Heart for Paws GenSan, a nongovernment organization that rescued her and brought her to the veterinary clinic.
Recently, Princess underwent her first laser therapy session as part of her recovery. However, her treatment is ongoing, and a fundraising project has been launched to cover the costs of her care.
Interestingly, a study released in 2022 showed that dogs can smell if a human is stressed or calm. Dogs have over 200 million olfactory receptors compared to humans’ 50 million, which gives them the ability to effectively differentiate and identify scents. It’s possible that Princess could sense her owner’s distress and was trying to communicate with her through her barking.
Princess’ heroic actions have touched the hearts of many, reminding us that not all heroes wear capes. – WhatALife!/Jayve
Sources: (1)
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