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A fearless poodle springs into action to save his human companion.
It was 12:45 am on June 19th in West Milford, New Jersey, when Aida Kelly was jolted awake by the relentless barking of her poodle Squilliam.
Cutting through the steady hiss of her CPAP machine, 3-year-old Squilliam, named for Squilliam Fancyson of "SpongeBob SquarePants," finally got her attention.
"I was like, 'Oh my gosh, what's going on?'" Aida told The Washington Post. "He never does that."
She sprang from her bed, and saw the back wall of her home was engulfed in flames, as smoke had begun spreading throughout the house.
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Aida called 911, and then clutching Squilliam and a few precious belongings fled through the front door.
During their escape, the piercing of the fire alarm finally screamed to life. "My fire alarm was my dog going back and forth barking," Aida told The Post.
Ordinarily, her husband and son would have been home, but they were gone that night.
West Milford's fire marshal, Michael Moscatello, who lives nearby, rushed to the scene.
"When I got there, the fire had already been about halfway through the home," he said, noting that the flames were spreading rapidly throughout the structure.
As for hero dog Squilliam, he added, "He gave her a lot more time to escape, considering how quick the fire traveled through the home," which was ultimately destroyed.
But none of Squilliam's heroics surprised Aida.
"He's very smart," she said proudly. "I'm not at all surprised he saved me."
Aida added, "He is my hero, my angel. He watched over me."
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