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AMERICAN FORK, Utah (KTVX) — MaKayla Bernardo Fox is grateful that her mother is alive, and she’s convinced the family dog is the reason why.

Late last month, her mother was asleep in the family home as a fire began to spread. Nobody else was home except Bleu, their dog.

(Courtesy of MaKayla Bernardo Fox)

And Bleu began to bark.

“He went to the back glass door, and he started barking,” said Fox. “He was barking really loud, trying to get my mom. Obviously, he knew my mom was inside,” she added.

But her mother didn’t hear the fire alarm, and she didn’t hear the barking.

Fox said two officers in the neighborhood on their lunch break noticed smoke in the air. When they followed it to the home, she said, they heard loud screams through the front door.

“The dog had been barking really loud, so what they thought was screaming was actually Bleu, still trying to get my mom’s attention,” said Fox.

She said police smashed through the door and quickly rescued Fox’s mother as the fire and smoke spread.

“They basically said that if it wasn’t for her getting out in that moment, she would have passed away…” said Fox.

  • (Courtesy of American Fork Fire and Rescue)
  • (Courtesy of American Fork Fire and Rescue)
  • (Courtesy of American Fork Fire and Rescue)
  • (Courtesy of American Fork Fire and Rescue)
  • (Courtesy of American Fork Fire and Rescue)

As the rescue happened, neighbors came outside and were able to coax two of the woman’s Chihuahuas from the home.

But Bleu had stayed inside.

“Our family dog passed away, but we’re super lucky. Because if it wasn’t for Bleu, my mom probably wouldn’t have made it, because they wouldn’t have known she was in the house,” said Fox.

She’s now created a GoFundMe page to help her family, especially her parents who have lived there for 30 years, move forward after the fire.