Heroic dog rescue in Washington County

WHITEHALL – Running into a burning building is the exact opposite of what most people might do. Fortunately, when the Bruce family garage on Skene Street in Whitehall erupted in flames Monday afternoon, two brave men were not only in the right place at the right time, they also had good reason to enter the garage and take the risk.

"I got a phone call saying my dad’s garage is on fire," Jessica Bruce recalled, "Obviously I freaked out, blacked out and came running into town."

When Jessica received that frantic phone call, there were plenty of things racing through her mind.

"I was thinking on my way into town," Jessica began. "I was like, Oh, my God! Rogue, the cats, where’s my dad?’ And when I got here, thankfully I saw our neighbors had her on the leash, so ‘Whoa, Rogue’s okay, now I can worry about everything else.’"

Rogue happens to be the Bruce family’s beloved 12-year-old German Shepherd who was trapped in the garage. No humans were home at the time, but fortunately a couple of family friends, Chris Bascue and Jarrod Martel, were nearby.

"Our two friends were at the Elks down the street and the first thing they thought was, ‘Oh, my God, the dog.’ And they came running up, broke through the door, and they were able to get her out quickly before anything else happened."

Even though the humble human heroes were unavailable Tuesday to talk about their rescue, Rogue seemed to be taking her second chance at life in stride.

"I’m sure she was nervous when they broke down the door," Jessica stated, "But better than the alternative of what could have happened."