Polo the Dog died a hero when he gave his own life to save the life of 8-month-old Viviana Poremski after a house fire broke out, trapping them both inside, reported WBAL-TV 11 Baltimore.
That night, a lightning storm knocked out the power in the Poremski home. Unable to find a flashlight, Erika Poremski lit some candles. After putting her daughter to bed, Erika stepped out to the driveway of the two-story house to charge her phone in her car. Suddenly she looked up and noticed a bright orange glow in the bedroom window. The room where Viviana was sleeping was on fire!
As the fire rapidly spread, Erika attempted unsuccessfully to enter the home and rescue her daughter. “I tried to keep getting in … but the fire smoke was so heavy I couldn’t get past it,” she told WBAL-TV 11 Baltimore, adding “then, the door curling started falling and I couldn’t get back in. I just heard her crying and I couldn’t get to her.”
With firefighters on the way and Vivian crying inside, neighbors kicked in doors and broke windows in an attempt to get to the girl, but their attempts were unsuccessful. Erika feared they would not be able to rescue Viviana in time.
Firefighters arrived on the scene of the blaze and soon had good news; Viviana was alive! Thanks to the family dog, Polo, the baby girl had survived the fire. The brave dog had covered Viviana’s body with his, sheltering her from the flames, until she was rescued. Unfortunately, Polo died after the fire.
Viviana sustained burns over 19% of her body and was in a coma for months after the fire. And although doctors warned Erika that the little girl may have brain damage and other complications, Poremski continued to pray for a miracle. Soon the swelling went down and Viviana awoke.
Since then, the family has set up a GoFundMe page and have raised over $42,000 to help with the hospital bills and other damages from the fire. Viviana has undergone multiple skin grafting operations, but is alive and doing well thanks to the heroic sacrifice of one amazing dog named Polo.
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