Fancy's quick action saved her family from a fire that destroyed the house.
Harley and Virginia Falls of Blue Creek, West Virginia only had 15 minutes before the alarm was set to go off; however, Fancy decided that the couple needed to get up NOW! The little Dachshund began to bark and growl to awaken her owners. Virginia walked around the house to see if there was something wrong but could find nothing. The little dog continued to bark and growl and looked up at the attic door. It was then that Virginia heard a sound like crumbling aluminum foil. As she pushed opened the attic door, she was immediately hit with smoke and flames. "When I pushed the thing up to look, the whole attic was engulfed in flames," explains Virginia. "I don't even know how I got back down! I just screamed, told my husband there was a fire and to go wake Matt and Tisha. We just got out of the house. We would still be in bed if Fancy hadn't woke us up!"
Harley received a few burns when he entered the burning house to make sure everyone had gotten out safely and to retrieve some prescription medicines. Emergency vehicles were dispatched but due to the icy conditions, neither the ambulance nor the firefighters could get close to the house.
It was around 9:00 am – the original time that the alarm was set to go off – when the roof of the house caved in. Although the family lost their home, they are grateful to Fancy for her persistence in waking them up. Because of her devotion to her family and her quick actions that morning, Fancy was nominated for the Dogs of Valor Award which is sponsored by the Human Society of the United States.