One Virginia family is grateful they decided to look after a Great Pyrenees named Moose for a weekend earlier this month after the big dog alerted them to an overnight fire that destroyed their houseboat.
Initially, Moose wasn’t even supposed to be there, but his barks roused his temporary family and got them off the boat in time.
“We lost everything in that fire, but because of Moose, we walked away unharmed,” Sheila Janes tells Daily Paws.
Firmly in the dog days of summer, Janes and her partner Chris Cushna were looking for something fun and cheap to do with their three kids. The Portsmouth Humane Society offers its Paws Around Portsmouth program, which allows people to foster dogs for a day or so. (Fabulous idea.)
They checked out Moose, the beautiful gentle giant. He accompanied the family to the music shop they run—Olde Towne Arts and Music—and visited with people outside the shop at an event sponsored by the U.S. Coast Guard, Janes says. (He was the “star of the show.”)
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The kids wanted Moose to stick around longer than just hours, so the good times kept going. The crew visited a community band concert, a farmer’s market, and the local flea market. That’s where they met a woman who decided she wanted to adopt Moose.
“The paperwork was to be finalized the next day, so we had one last night with Moose before he went to his new home,” Janes says. “We spoiled him that day with an ice cream pup cup, a visit to the park, and a chicken sandwich.”
Moose and the family retired to their houseboat for the night. In the middle of the night, he woke up Cushna and daughter Anya. They figured he just wanted to go for a walk, but once they ventured out, they saw a neighboring boat on fire. They roused the rest of the family, getting them out only minutes before the fire spread to their home.
Glass broke and batteries exploded as the flames enveloped the houseboat.
“If Moose hadn’t gotten Anya and Chris up, we would not be here, as we were all sound asleep and the fire spread very quickly,” Janes says.
Moose was hailed as a hero, and he joined his adopter the next day. However, it didn’t work out for him, and his owner had to return him to the humane society. Thankfully, news of his heroics had spread wide, including to Ciara Hill.
Her 5-acre farm—with a swimming pool—was perfect for Moose, Janes says.
“He has been living his best life, relaxing in the sun or on their couch inside,” she says. “We are so grateful to everyone and especially grateful for Moose.”
