ANKENY, Iowa (WHO) – A beloved family pet became her family’s hero when carbon monoxide crept into their home on Monday.
“I could tell something was up with Roxy,” said Roxy’s owner Brad Harbert. He says Roxy is mild-mannered, but that night she was very active.
“She just was jumping off my bed, jumping back up on the bed. When I started to come to, I was hearing an alarm, and it wasn’t the smoke alarm,” Harbert said.
Harbert’s carbon monoxide detector was going off.
“I jumped out of bed. Right when I did, Roxy came out to the hallway … I grabbed the [carbon monoxide] detector and found out that if it chirps four times … there’s active carbon monoxide in the house,” said Harbert.
Harbert gathered his son, father and Roxy outside the home and called 911. Minutes later, he says the Ankeny Fire Department arrived at his house. MidAmerican Energy determined the leak came from Harbert’s electric and gas fireplace.
“She can tell something was wrong that night when she woke me up and just her actions, she was kind of shivering and just really concerned that we would get outside. [I’m] very, very happy to have a dog and very happy to have her,” said Harbert.
Harbert advises other homeowners to get their fireplaces serviced regularly and buy a carbon monoxide detector.