Life saving pet dog Chester is back with family (From Dorset Echo)

Life saving pet dog Chester is back with family

2:30pm Monday 31st December 2012 in News By Rene Gerryts

CHESTER the dog saved his family’s life – twice – by alerting them to house fires.

And they were devastated when he went missing from his Bridport home over Christmas.

But thanks to an online appeal the 16-year-old Alsatian/Corgi cross was reunited with them in time for Christmas Day.

Denise Dargan said they hadn’t realised that visiting grandchildren had accidentally shut the door before Chester got in.

She said: “The dog is really old and we live at the back of the Music Centre in South Street.

“He takes a long time to get up the stairs and we didn’t realise the grandchildren had closed the door and accidentally shut him out.

“We were running around the streets frantically trying to find him.

“We did everything, went to the police station but we also put it on Facebook and it was my niece Hazel who had a friend who said it was him who took the dog to the vets.

“Apparently Chester had started walking along South Street in the road and a young boy named Alex Rawlings picked him up and took him to the Gore Cross vets.

“When we were in Nottingham we were in two house fires and Chester actually raised the alarm on each one and managed to get us out in time.”

Denise said she was overwhelmed at how helpful and king everyone had been trying to find Chester.

She said: “Everyone was so helpful they were marvellous. I would like to thank everyone for what they did.”