ROANOKE TIMES

                         Roanoke Times
                 Copyright (c) 1995, Landmark Communications, Inc.

DATE: THURSDAY, February 13, 1992                   TAG: 9202130315
SECTION: VIRGINIA                    PAGE: B-4   EDITION: METRO 
SOURCE: Associated Press
DATELINE: NEWPORT NEWS                                LENGTH: Short


FAMILY-SAVING DOG MAY HAVE FLED FIRE

A dog whose barking alerted a family their house was on fire may have survived the fire, dog owner Sheila Tucker said Wednesday.

Elvira's barking helped wake up Tucker Tuesday morning and she and her husband and two daughters escaped the blaze. Donald Tucker returned to the burning house to find the dog, but could not locate her.

A burned carcass was found near the back door and thought to be Elvira, a 6-month-old German shepherd-Labrador mix.

But the body proved to be one of the family's cats, said Paul Gustafson, the veterinarian who examined the remains. Dog and cat tongues are different, he said, and "this definitely was a cat."

Tucker is holding out hope and a $100 reward for the return of the dog.

Angel, 7, Amanda, 4, and their father, Donald, 28, were listed in serious but stable condition with second- and third-degree burns at Sentara Norfolk General Hospital on Wednesday.

Gustafson said he hopes Elvira is found, but said the puppy could have burned in a hotter part of the fire that would have left the remains unrecognizable.

"If the dog did die in the fire, then it's a tribute to man's best friend - that an animal would give its life to save its owners," the veterinarian said. "That may be some consolation, especially in these days when people wouldn't cross the street to save someone."



by Bhavesh Jinadra by CNB