Dog Saves Couple From Carbon Monoxide

Amanda Butterfield reportingA South Jordan couple is alive tonight, thanks to their dog. Their house was full of carbon monoxide. They were asleep. The dog woke them up.

"She's just a pup, sometimes a little bit annoying. But now she has the respect of the whole family."

Had the couple stayed in their house much longer, they might not have made it, according to firefighters. Thankfully they had their golden retriever.

The couple is getting treated at LDS hospital in a hyperbalic chamber. As for the dog, Maddy, she likely had no idea she was doing anything heroic. She just needed to go outside.

"If you have house dogs, maybe there's a hidden alarm there for you."

Early this morning Maddy woke up her owners. So, the husband got up and took her outside, then noticed his wife was acting strangely -- dizzy, nauseous lethargic. So he called the fire department.

They arrived, the husband passed out, and neighbors got concerned.

Dale Ticshner/Neighbor: "Sharon said an ambulance had been here, taken them to the hospital with carbon monoxide poisoning."

Crews measured the carbon monoxide in the home, and it was off the charts.

Dennis McKone/ Salt Lake City Fire Dept.: "It's what we call a silent killer, tasteless, odorless, and it does kill."

The couple will have a total of three sessions in a hyperbaric chamber. Filled with pressurized oxygen, it flushes the body of carbon monoxide.

But to avoid this, fire crews suggest a carbon monoxide detector.

Dennis McKone: "I recommend everyone in the valley and state have carbon monoxide detectors in their house."

Dale Ticshner/Neighbor: "That's where we're headed now, on our way out to buy one."

The couple is expected to fully recover. And as for Maddy, the family has nicknamed her "Mircale Dog."

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