An Anaheim homeowner celebrated National Pet Fire Safety day by thanking the dispatcher who saved her dog's life during a house fire.
The ADT dispatcher who alerted authorities to a fire in Amber Cooper's California home traveled over 2,500 miles from Rochester to meet the dog he saved Friday.
"I am extremely thankful," said Cooper. "She was the only thing I was worried about."
Cooper adopted a "sweet and loveable" Yorkie-terrier mix named Fiona from an Orange County shelter in 2009. A break-in just a few months later prompted Cooper to purchase an ADT security system, to protect her "traumatized" dog.
She also installed a smoke detector, despite thinking a fire would never happen. However, the smoke alarm would come to save her home -- and her dog's life.
Cooper said on March 16 she got a call at work telling her there was a fire in her home, which began in her kitchen, the same room her dog was staying. Her alarm system alerted authorities to the fire, which she said most likely saved her dog's life.
"If I hadn't put that monitor in, my house would be in flames," she said.
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On Friday, Cooper shared an emotional meeting with dispatcher David Tompkins outside her home on Helena Street in Anaheim. ADT also recognized National Pet Fire Safety day by presenting a $10,000 check to the Anaheim Fire Department.
Cooper said she couldn't stop thanking the firemen, who all said they were just doing their job. She said she will continue to keep a smoke detector in her home and encourages other to do so, as well.
Around 500,000 pets are injured or killed each year in house fires, authorities said. Cooper is happy her Fiona isn't one of them.
"Possession can be replaced, but my best friend Fiona cannot," she said.
