A Cobb County, Georgia man is alive today because of his best friend's heroic act.
Scott Dunn was sick when he fell asleep on his couch next to his 3-and-a-half-year-old boxer, Duncan, according to the Atlanta Journal-Constitution. When he awoke to the dog pawing at him at around 3:30 a.m., Dunn thought Duncan just wanted to go for a walk.
But, when Dunn opened his eyes to a roomful of smoke, he realized something was terribly wrong, according to CBS Atlanta.
"Duncan was covered up with me, and I fell asleep, and the next thing I knew, he was poking at me and barking," Dunn told the AJC. "Normally, that means he needs to go out, but when I woke up, I couldn’t see because there was smoke."
Dunn grabbed his keys and headed for his truck, holding Duncan by the collar. When he reached the vehicle, he found the collar in his hand, but no dog attached to it. Though Dunn wanted to go back into the house to fetch his pooch, he told the AJC his neighbors convinced him not to.
Duncan was found curled up on Dunn's bed after firefighters put out the blaze.
"That's my boy. He saved my life," Dunn told CBS. "He saved my life, but I couldn't return the favor. It was too hot in there. I couldn't get back in there."
Northeast Cobb Patch reported that the fire crews assisted Dunn in burying the dog before leaving the scene. The cause of the fire is still under investigation, but much of the house was destroyed during the incident.
WATCH Scott Dunn's emotional interview with CBS Atlanta: