Home Town hero | Free News
Popular pooch Zeus springs into action to alert loft owner of fire
Already crowned the unofficial mascot of downtown Laurel last fall in the Leader-Call’s Pulse magazine, Zeus the Great Dane now has another title to add to his resume: Downtown Laurel’s Fire Marshal.
It seems the popular canine played an instrumental role in alerting human sidekick Michael McKinnon of a fire that broke out recently in the loft apartment they share.
Three Laurel Fire Department engine companies responded to the scene a little after 10 p.m. on Monday, Jan. 15 in response to a fire that broke out on the upper patio area of the home, which was featured in Season 6 Episode 10 of HGTV’s popular ”Home Town” television series.
The exterior patio sustained heavy damage, according to reports from the LFD.
The blaze seems to have started from an electrical short in the wiring to an outdoor television located on the patio. Moisture from rain may have been the cause, LFD reported.
“If you thought he (Zeus) was arrogant before, then you ought to see him now,” McKinnon joked. “Right now, he is getting whatever he wants - 12 to 15 bones, or scoops of ice cream, a day.”
McKinnon was relaxing downstairs on his couch watching a movie on the night of the blaze when Zeus came storming in with his ears pinned back and jumped up on his human.
“He wouldn’t stop. He kept nudging me, and it just wasn’t like him at all,” McKinnon said. “Something was wrong.”
Since contracting COVID-19 last year, McKinnon hasn’t yet recovered his sense of smell, so the odor of smoke went undetected by his nose — but it didn’t get past Zeus’ snout.
“He started leading me upstairs,” McKinnon said. “He didn’t let up, and once we got almost all the way up the stairs, I then saw the flames.”
Right after that, the smoke alarms went off and McKinnon and Zeus were able to safely secure the area as the fire trucks rolled.
The 3-year-old four-legged celebrity is a downtown fixture among business owners and tourists and is often seen taking McKinnon out for walks around town.
And now he achieved way more than just “good boy” status. He is an official hometown hero.
“It’s just ridiculous,” McKinnon said. “He now has such a big head. But we survived and we will rebuild the apartment.”
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