A Florida dog has been branded a "hero" by his owner after he gave his life to save his family from a house fire.
Zippy, a Jack Russell terrier, came to the Butler family's aid after they failed to wake up to their fire alarm in the early hours of Tuesday morning (17th September) as a fire broke out in the attic of their Florida home.
Speaking to Fox 13, grieving owner Leroy told the reporter: "It only lasted a short 'beep beep' and then it was already on fire. It was gone."
After the alarm failed to rouse the family from their slumber at 2am, Zippy began barking loudly around the house to alert father Leroy and his children, aged eight and 12.
"He was back and forth. He was from bed to bed, back and forth," Leroy added.
Successfully waking his owners up, the family were able to rush out despite the home being engulfed by flames. But in the chaos, the Jack Russell terrier continued to run back through the inferno to make sure his family were out of the house.
However, as the flames grew, Leroy realised that Zippy hadn't made it out and when he tried to go back in for the little hero he was greeted with a plume of thick black smoke.
He told ABC News: "We made it out just in time. It went 'poom' and when I turn around, I'm making them run, and I go to get the dog.
"I just get all this black smoke and 'poom' - all in my mouth, and all in my face. I was like 'ok, I gotta turn around. It's too hot and I gotta get out of here'."
Butler also explained to Fox 13 that Zippy's short stature couldn't get past the large flames and that the heroic canine had succumbed to the smoke.
He said: "The floor in the living room was all on fire so there was nowhere for him to run out. Even if the smoke was this high. He was a short little dog. There was nowhere for him to go."
Zippy, who was adopted by the Butler family at the Humane Society of Manatee County, was reportedly found under a bed in the family home after hiding from the flames.
"He was a good dog. He did his job, we rescued him, and I guess he returned the favor," Butler told WTSP.
The Bradenton Fire Department in Florida stated that the fire spread from the attic, near the air conditioning unit - however, the root of the blaze is still unknown.
Featured Image Credit: WTSP
