Watch CBS News

Good Samaritan Rescues Dracut Homeowner's Dog

DRACUT (CBS) -- A Dracut woman almost lost her pet, but a Good Samaritan ran into her burning home to rescue a Yorkshire Terrier.

Dracut dogs
Elaine Buote (right), with her dogs Libby (left) and Petunia. (WBZ-TV)

"This is Libby and this is Petunia."

Dog and homeowner Elaine Buote says Libby almost died inside her house after a fire started in the middle of the night Friday.

"Grabbed my dog and the other one, I couldn't find her so I said, 'I gotta get outta here,' " Buote said.

So she went down her driveway and saw Michael Patenaude. The 20-year-old had just left his friend's house.

Michael Patenaude
Michael Patenaude ran into a burning house in Dracut to rescue Elaine Buote's dog. (WBZ-TV)

"I was just driving, just coming home. I just seen the flames from down the street," Patenaude said.

"He says to me, 'I just called the fire department.' He says, 'Is there anybody else in the house?' and I told him 'I have one dog left in the house.' " Buote continued.

"I gave her my phone and said, 'Here, talk to them, tell them what's going on and I'm going to go in,' " Patenaude said.

"It was just black smoke and flames flying right above my head. I'm looking for the dog. It was insane," the Good Samaritan added.

He eventually found Libby and grabbed her.

"This was one was rescued."

"I consider my dogs like family and if there was a chance that my dogs could get out of my house, a situation like that was happening, I hope somebody would do it for me too," Patenaude said.

"He was very very nice."

"I was just doing what I thought I should've done."

Bravery that may have prompted a new calling.

"Obviously it's not safe but like being in there. It was something I kind of liked about it so I might try doing it for a career, yeah being a firefighter, that's what they said so."

Fire officials say the blaze at the Buote home was electrical in nature.

View CBS News In
CBS News App Open
Chrome Safari Continue
Be the first to know
Get browser notifications for breaking news, live events, and exclusive reporting.