This Is Brian

Once rescued as an abused puppy, 3-year-old golden retriever/collie mix Bella, returned the favor to her owners at about 2 a.m. when she alerted them of a fire in the house. And little 6-month-old Maddie, a purebred golden retriever, was right behind her, as always.

Sue Feuling and her 9-year-old daughter Mckenzie made it out of the home at 412 E. Third St. unhurt. Their rescuers did not. Bella and Maddie died in the fire.

“Those dogs were without a doubt the heroes,” said Assistant Fire Chief Jim Multhaup.

Sue’s uncle and next-door neighbor, Bud Smith, agreed.

“They might not have gotten out without them,” he said.

Feuling said she was sound asleep when the usually well-behaved Bella did something she never does — jumped on the bed and started barking. Feuling eventually woke up and smelled smoke. She grabbed Mckenzie and rushed out of the house.

The dogs were right behind her but couldn’t be coaxed out of the small, white dwelling. Feuling said she tried to run back in and yell for the dogs, but they would not come out.

“Bella must have thought Mckenzie was still in the house,” Feuling said.

Firefighters arrived within minutes and one attempted to go in and save the dogs, but was unable to do so in time. He suffered some smoke inhalation as a result of his efforts but will be fine, Multhaup said. He said the Feulings were taken to Community Memorial Hospital for smoke inhalation monitoring, but were OK.

The fire gutted the home, causing extensive damage to the first floor and structural damage to the attic, Multhaup said. He said the fire was caused by an overloaded electrical outlet on the main floor.

Feuling’s husband, Bruce, who was at work at the time of the fire, said the family’s computer equipment was plugged into the outlet that started the fire.

Multhaup said this was the fourth fire in the last month to be caused by overloaded wiring and urged caution when plugging in space heaters or, in the summer, air conditioners, into outlets with older wiring.

The Red Cross is assisting the family, Bruce said. He is still uncertain about what will happen after a couple days in a motel. Bruce said they hope to rebuild their house, which they’ve lived in for about 25 years.

An assistance fund will be set up for the family Monday at Eastwood Bank, said Bruce’s mother, Betty.

Bella was like a human being because she seemed to understand what you were saying, Bruce said. When they got Maddie as a puppy, Bella was a little skeptical at first, but the two became fast friends. Maddie used to follow Bella around all the time, Sue said.