Shelter Dogs by Peg Kehret Page B

firefighters arrived in time to extinguish the blaze before it spread to the rest of the house. Taj and Alexandra had some breathing problems from inhaling smoke, but they recovered fully by the next day.
    When the fire was finally out, Taj and Michael gathered basic necessities and prepared to move temporarily to the Westin Hotel in Seattle, where Michael worked. Taj made sure to take Ivan’s blue food dish along.
    The fire happened on the day before Thanksgiving; Ivan was fifteen months old.
    On Thanksgiving Day, as Taj and Michael looked at what was left of their smoke-blackened home, they gave thanks that Ivan had saved Alexandra and Taj.
    The Brumleves lost nearly seven thousand dollars worth of belongings, including Alexandra’s bed and most of her toys and books. They had just finished painting and decorating the child’s bedroom; now it was destroyed by smoke and water damage. But the losses seemed unimportant compared to the tragedy they might have faced.
    Investigators said the fire started in Alexandra’s room and speculated that she might have been playing with matches.
    Because of her hearing impairment, Alexandra still had a limited vocabulary. She couldn’t tell anyone exactly what had happened. Regardless of how the fire began, one fact was clear: Ivan first woke Taj, and then raced upstairs to get Alexandra.
    â€œThat dog saved the mother’s life and the child’s life,” says Steve Gengo of the Redmond, Washington, Fire Department. “He acted on instinct; he saved his family.”
    Each year the Seattle/King County chapter of the American Red Cross has a “Heroes Breakfast” to pay tribute to ordinary people who have performed unusual acts of courage or kindness. A year after the fire, the Red Cross honored Ivan as an Animal Hero.
    By then the Brumleves had moved to Kansas, but Taj brought Ivan back to Seattle to receive his award. Ivan sat in the seat next to hers for the plane ride and was given a set of wings by the captain.
    At the award breakfast, Ivan wore a vest and bow tie. He seemed to enjoy all the attention and wagged his tail happily at the crowd.
    Taj gave Ivan’s acceptance speech for him. “The lesson that should come out of this,” she said, “is that if you love your animals, they will love you.”
    Besides his Red Cross award, Ivan was honored by Heinz Pet Products, which gave him a six-month supply of dog food and a certificate of merit.
    Ivan continues to be both a hearing-ear dog and a beloved pet for Taj and Alexandra. “To me,” says Taj, “Ivan is the most wonderful mutt in the world.”
    About Fire Prevention
    Fire destroys more property and claims more lives each year than tornadoes, floods, or any other natural disaster. Most fire fatalities and injuries in the United States occur in the victim’s own home. Here are some things you can do to keep yourself and your family safe:
1.
Make sure every level of your home has a working smoke detector.
2.
Be sure your house numbers can be seen from the street.
3.
Have a fire extinguisher in your kitchen.
4.
Never leave cooking food unwatched.
5.
If you see a fire in your home, get out immediately. It is too dangerous to telephone for help from a burning home. Call 911 on a neighbor’s phone.
6.
The American Society for the Prevention of Cruelty to Animals has stickers to put on or near entry doors to alert firefighters that animals are inside. The stickers provide space for you to write a phone number to be called in case of emergency. You can learn more about this organization at www.aspca.org or write to:
    ASPCA
    442 E. 92nd St.
    New York NY 10128

Bridgette
    SEIZURE-ALERT DOG

Cliff Chartrand relaxes at his Richland, Washington, home with Bridgette, his seizure-alert dog.

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    T HE BLACK-AND-WHITE DOG had no name. The person who owned her had never bothered to give her one.
    When the dog had fourteen puppies, her owner found homes for six of them. The