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Chris Cushna and Sheila Janes were looking for a weekend activity with their family. They are dog lovers, so they thought it would be a good time to foster a dog for a night.

“We had all the kids for the week, and we needed something fun to do on a Friday,” said Janes, noting that her partner’s two children — Logan, 12, and Anya, 10 — as well as her granddaughter, Luna, 8, were staying with the couple on their houseboat in Portsmouth, Va., near Norfolk.

The couple remembered that the Portsmouth Humane Society has a “Paws Around PTown” program, which encourages people to check a dog out of the shelter for a few hours or however long they wish. The goal of the program is to lighten the load of shelter staff, and help the pups get adopted by introducing them to locals around town. It’s also good for the dogs.

“It allows the dogs to de-stress and break from the shelter,” said Amanda McQuarry, the director of Portsmouth Humane Society.

When the family of five stopped by the shelter on Aug. 4, “we all agreed that Moose was the one we were going to check out,” Janes, 49, said. “Moose was in the last cage, and he just had the kindest face.”

They took him to a local ice cream shop and showed him off to passersby.

“We thought, this dog is so charming, if we introduce the dog to different people he will surely find a forever home,” said Cushna, 54, adding that they found a potential adopter for him that day.

The family was having so much fun with Moose, they decided to keep the dog for one more night.

Little did they know that Moose would rescue them the following morning. A fire broke out on a neighboring boat on Sunday morning, and Moose alerted the family to the flames.

“Moose got us up early, and it saved our lives,” Cushna said.

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Around 7:30 a.m., Moose — an 8-year-old Great Pyrenees — started stirring around the kids’ room while the whole family was still fast asleep. He was panting and pacing incessantly, and the children assumed he needed to go out. Once they got up, though, they quickly realized the boat next door was on fire, and it was spreading — fast. The kids woke up the rest of the family, and they all escaped in the nick of time, with Moose in tow.

“This thing was so out of control,” Janes said of the fire.

“If Moose had not woken us up, we would have woken up to fire falling from the roof,” she continued, adding that workers at the marina called 911 when they heard Cushna yelling. “We credit Moose for getting us out.”

“It was a really scary situation. Time was critical,” Cushna said. “It’s amazing that no one got hurt.”

Canines have a keen ability to detect fire, due to their strong sense of smell and sound. In May, a 2-year-old Australian labradoodle named Charlie alerted his owner to a neighborhood blaze in Clovis, Calif., one of many such stories of pets saving people from fires.

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“We are very, very proud of Moose,” McQuarry said. “He is an amazing dog, so I am not surprised in the least bit.”

The couple — who own a music store in Portsmouth — lived in the houseboat full-time before the fire, which, according to them, is still under investigation. The Portsmouth Fire Rescue and Emergency Services did not respond to The Washington Post’s request for comment.

The fire at Tidewater Yacht Center destroyed two boats — including the couple’s — and sent thick plumes of smoke over Portsmouth’s waterfront.

Cushna and Janes are without a home, and funds are being raised to help them get back on their feet after the fire. Although they’re devastated to have lost their houseboat, they said they feel fortunate to be alive.

“In our community, Moose is just a hero,” Cushna said.

The couple said they would have loved to adopt Moose, but they travel often — and now, they don’t have a permanent home.

“We don’t have the ability to have a big dog,” said Janes, explaining that they wanted Moose to be able to roam free in a yard and receive ample attention. Given their current circumstances, the couple knew they couldn’t give that to him.

The day of the fire, Moose was taken home by the prospective adopter whom the couple met in town that weekend, but the adoption didn’t pan out. In the end, though, Moose was taken in by a family who lives nearby on a five-acre farm in Franklin, Va., with several rescue animal siblings.

Ciara Hill and her husband saw Moose’s story on the Portsmouth Humane Society’s Facebook page, and they were immediately intrigued.

“That boy deserves a steak,” Hill said to her husband. “We’ll go get him.”

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They were touched by his heroic rescue — and, of course, his sweet, fluffy face.

“He did such a good job, he deserves to come and retire out here on the farm,” Hill, who has eight dogs, said. “We’ll give him a good life. All of ours are spoiled beyond belief. They want for nothing.”

Hill picked Moose up from the shelter on Aug. 18 and brought him home. Shelter staff told Hill that Moose’s previous owners surrendered him, along with another dog, because they felt like they couldn’t properly care for them.

“His new family seems amazingly perfect for him,” McQuarry said. “Any dog would be lucky to have them.”

Over the past week, Moose has adjusted to his new living situation, and has started fitting in with the other animals who live on the property — including several cats, goats, chickens and turkeys, plus a giant tortoise.

“This is like an animal sanctuary,” said Hill, adding that she and her husband are happy to have him. “He’s very sweet, he’s very friendly. He just wants head rubs.”

Meanwhile, Cushna and Janes are grateful that Moose has found an idyllic home.

“Moose is living his best life,” Janes said. “He truly deserves it.”

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Source link: https://www.washingtonpost.com/lifestyle/2023/08/25/foster-dog-fire-virginia-boat/