The Ultimate Sacrifice

There's a reason we love dogs so much. Aside from being great companions in our lonely times and being adorable, they have all of that unconditional love for us. And with that love comes never-ending loyalty.

There was a true display of this on August 14th in Baltimore, Maryland. On that Sunday, a tragic fire broke out in a townhouse. The Baltimore City Fire department responded to the fire, which had already engulfed the two-story row home by the time they got there. 

It was an unlucky series of events that occurred to cause the fire. After a power outage occurred, mom Erika Poremski lit a candle and went out to her car briefly to charge her phone. Somehow, the candle had engulfed the house in flames within minutes. Poremski's 8-month-old daughter, Viviana, was trapped inside.

Though Poremski could hear her daughter crying, there was nothing she could do to get to her. She suffered severe burns on her hands from trying to get inside to save her.

Thankfully, little Viviana had another rescuer. The family dog, Polo, a six-year-old black, curly-haired mutt, had only Viviana in mind. When firefighters finally managed to get into the home, they found Polo laying on top of Viviana in a second-floor bedroom.

Because Polo laid over Viviana, she only suffered burns to her sides and some of her face. Had Polo not protected her, Viviana likely wouldn't have lived. 

Unfortunately, Polo lost his life saving Viviana. It just goes to show how loyal our pooches are. Though Polo could have gotten out of the house and out the door, he chose to protect Viviana and give his own life to save the life of his little human.

Always appreciate your dog, because they'll always have your back.