PORT ST. LUCIE, Fla. — The saying "a dog is man's best friend" has been around for centuries.
That's never been more true than for a Port St. Lucie family who told WPTV that their dog was a hero.
A pile of neatly folded towels now looks out of place in the middle of a disaster.
The deLaneuville home in the Newport Isles neighborhood of Port St. Lucie was recently gutted by fire.
Port St Lucie
House fire kills dog, displaces family of 5 in Port St. Lucie
Michael deLaneuville had finished his third straight night shift as a nurse last Friday when he came home to take a nap.
His wife was at work and his kids were at school.
The only one else in the home was the family's terrier mix named Lilo.
Michael and his wife adopted the dog just before their first daughter was born eight years ago.
"Her tendency a lot of time is when there's a storm or loud noises, she'll get scared and hide under the bed," deLaneuville said.
But as smoke began to fill the home Friday, Lilo started barking. From the other side of his closed bedroom door, deLaneuville began to stir.
"I heard her barking, which is what got me up, then I woke up," deLaneuville said.
As he opened the door, smoke began pouring in.
Many things running through his mind at that moment. How was he going to get out of the house and where was the dog?
"I kept calling for her [but] couldn’t find her," deLaneuville said.
He went into his master bathroom and got out through the window but without Lilo.
"I wish she had been right there, and I had just seen her, and I could have picked her up," deLaneuville said.
Lilo was eventually found by firefighters in the bedroom closet, overcome by the smoke.
"She tried to get to the safest place, I think," deLaneuville said.
He said he feels guilty and wishes he could have done more.
"It hurts to lose her badly," deLaneuville said. "But at least the way she looked and the smoke, I feel like, maybe she just went to sleep and that was it."
While the investigation into what started the fire continues, deLaneuville said he knows his dog gave everything for him.
"I feel like a second chance at life because who knew you'd get out," he said. "She was really man's best friend and truly saved my life."
