ANKENY, Iowa — Roxy the dog is more than a beloved family pet — she's a lifesaver.
An Ankeny, Iowa, family is crediting Roxy with alerting them when odorless gas carbon monoxide leaked into their home on Dec. 13, according to WHO-TV reporting.
Owner Brad Harbert said Roxy is normally mild-mannered, but that night, she was unusually active, jumping up and down on the bed. Harbert then heard the home's carbon monoxide detector go off.
He jumped out of bed, and Roxy went to Harbert's son's door and began scratching at it. Harbert gathered his son, father and the dog and left the home. The leak came from a fireplace.
According to the Mayo Clinic, various fuel-burning appliances in the home produce carbon monoxide. When too much carbon monoxide is in the air that you're breathing, your body begins to replace the oxygen in your blood cells with the carbon monoxide and prevents oxygen from reaching your tissues and organ.
Carbon monoxide poisoning is most dangerous for those who are sleeping, as the fumes can cause irreversible brain damage or death before someone realizes there's a problem, according to the Mayo Clinic.
The best preventative measure against poisoning in your home, according to the Mayo Clinic, is to install carbon monoxide detectors near each bedroom in your home and continue to check the batteries twice a year.
