Dog Saves Family From Riverdale House Fire

RIVERDALE, Utah – A Utah family’s dog is being called a hero after she sacrificed herself to alert family members as a fire engulfed their mobile home.

Natalie Wesley said her home, and everything in it is a total loss, but she believes things could have turned out much worse if it were not for the family dog, Karyzma.

Wesley said Karyzma jumped onto her bed very early Saturday morning.

“(She) pawed at me and woke me up,” Wesley said. “And I woke up and saw the big, orange blaze, and flames starting to come into the bedroom.”

Wesley said she and her husband ran outside. Just seconds later, flames overtook their bedroom.

“The minute we got out, the window next to the bedroom window exploded,” Wesley said. “The bed caught fire, so there were not even minutes to where we would have made it out.”

Wesley expected their dog would be right behind her, as usual.

“We thought that Karyzma was with us going out, but she wasn’t,” Wesley said. “I stayed by the door, trying to call for her to come, but she didn’t make it.”

She said not long after, firefighters informed her that Karyzma had died in the fire.

“She was our angel and our hero,” Wesley said. “We rescued her, and she gave her life for ours.”

Wesley said Karyzma was much more than a family pet; she was a family member who constantly watched over her and her children.

“She could always just tell if something was wrong, and it’s like she just knew how to help me,” said Wesley’s son, Daniel Loveland. “If I was upset, or if I was mad or anything like that, she just knew exactly what to do to make me feel better.”

Natalie and her family are now mourning the loss of their close companion. They adopted her just one year ago.

“We rescued her,” Wesley said. “In the end, she gave her life for us.”