By Leo Black and Samuel Wightwick
A pet dog saved his neighbourhood after discovering a gas leak in his owner’s front yard.
Kobe, a four-year-old husky, was able to alert his owner about the leak by digging a large hole.
Owner Chanell Bell, 28, initially didn’t think much of it but as the hole got bigger, she figured Kobe was trying to tell her something.
Chanell, of Philadelphia, Pennsylvania, said: “I trust his judgment because that isn’t his typical behaviour and he is usually right.
“He has great senses and he never digs holes unless he is helping me dig.
“We’ve been here at our new home for a while now and he never digs holes without me, so I knew something was up.”
Chanell had had a gas leak in the house earlier in December so she decided to take out her gas detection device.
Chanell, a business owner, said: “The hole looked ominous. It was very big and you could see that it showed under the sidewalk.
“I had a reader already in the house to make sure there were no leaks coming from my old heater.
“When saw the hole and realized it was odd behavior for my dog. My intuition told me to check it.”
Immediately, the reading detected gas.
Chanell alerted authorities who informed her that if Kobe hadn’t detected the leak when he did on December 21, the consequences could have been catastrophic.
Channel said: “If it wasn’t detected and the gas continued to leak into our homes.
“We were told it could’ve caused serious health effects like respiratory issues, brain damage and even death.
“They told me that something as simple as a light switch turning on could’ve caused an explosion too!”
The gas foreman and crew immediately turned off her gas and got to work.
The age of the pipes and rust had caused three main gas leaks in Chanell’s neighbourhood.
All in all, the gas engineers worked three and a half days straight to resolves the leaks and fit new pipes.
Channel said: “When they [the engineers] arrived, they were so impressed with Kobe and mentioned what a good dog he was.”
Channel feels indebted to Kobe and believes that you should always listen to your animals and their senses.
She said: “It feels amazing to know Kobe saved our block, I am very thankful to have him.
“I hope that this spreads awareness to others about the dangers and severity of gas leaks and to pay attention to your fur babies!”
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