Husky’s persistent pouncing bruised owner, forcing her out of house — half an hour later, first responders said the dog had saved their lives

Griffin was hit with one of her usual migraines, but Luna wasn’t about to let her rest.

PUBLISHED 4 HOURS AGO

(L) Young woman with dog at the park on summer; (R) Firefighters in fire protection suits ready for action. (Representative Cover Image Source: Getty Images | Photo by (L) Elayne Massaini; (R) kali9)

A two-year-old Husky in Indiana turned what looked like nuisance behavior into a lifesaving act. Her relentless pawing and pouncing bruised her owner and even tore at the apartment door until she finally gave in and stepped outside. Thirty minutes later, firefighters confirmed what the dog seemed to know all along: staying inside would have been deadly. The Husky, named Luna, had been adopted just nine months earlier by Samantha Griffin, a 38-year-old social worker in Marion.

Blonde woman playing with Husky - Representative Image Source: Pexels | Photo by Yaroslav Shuraev — Blonde woman playing with Husky. (Representative Image Source: Pexels | Photo by Yaroslav Shuraev)

As per ABC News, Griffin said that for weeks, the smoke and carbon monoxide alarm in her new apartment had been going off, but she assumed it was a wiring or battery issue. "It was a battery [issue] because as soon as we unplugged it, it would stop. So we just kept thinking it was a power issue," she told the outlet. On June 24, Griffin began experiencing what felt like one of her usual migraines. She tried to rest, but Luna refused to let her sleep. "We [were] just like, 'Something ain't right,'" she said.

Firefighters using special equipment during an emergency in a building in city - Representative Image Source: Getty Images | Photo by Fahrettin Turgut — Firefighters using special equipment during an emergency in a building in city. ( Representative Image Source: Getty Images | Photo by Fahrettin Turgut)

Instead of curling up on the couch or entertaining herself as usual, Luna turned frantic. "All day long, she was bugging me to go outside. And normally she doesn’t do that. She started pouncing on me – I think I still have bruises from where she's hit me – and she scratched up my door and stuff like that, trying to get out, so she was alerting us way before the alarm even went off," Griffin said.

Woman lying with her dog on the couch - Representative Image Source: Pexels | Photo by Kaboompics.com — Woman lying with her dog on the couch. (Representative Image Source: Pexels | Photo by Kaboompics.com)

Griffin finally gave in, stepping outside with Luna and calling maintenance. The building staff then contacted the fire department, and what the first responders uncovered stunned them. "The gas company sent out somebody because they had to pinpoint where it was. And he said that it was 97 [parts per million] in my apartment, which he said, during their training, if you're in a place that's 50 [parts per million] or above for more than a half hour, you're dead. And he said, 'I don't know how you lived,'" she shared.

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Investigators traced the leak to a bird's nest blocking the flue of the building's gas water heater. The unit was replaced, but officials made clear how dangerous the situation had been. Griffin added, "Luna did save my life that day. If she hadn't gotten me out, I definitely probably would have fallen asleep and just died." Carbon monoxide, often called the "silent killer," has no odor or color. As per a 2023 study published in Lancet Public Health, globally, in 2021, 28,900 deaths were estimated from unintentional CO poisoning, amounting to an age-standardized mortality rate of 0.366 deaths per 100,000 population.

"I'm just so overwhelmed, grateful for all of it," she said. "Because I don't know where I'd be right now without her." Griffin hopes her story encourages others to rescue animals and to take safety alarms seriously. "Don't ignore your [carbon monoxide] alert. Make sure you have one and make sure you don't ignore it." She added that fire officials gave her one more reminder: "If you have a gas stove, gas water heater, anything like that, to make sure it's checked at least once a year."