She felt the euphoria, followed seconds later by anguish, as the second firefighter reappeared through the window carrying the limp body of a dog.

Harry the Hero

In all the commotion, it’s only after the fire is under control and the paramedics have checked everyone over that a policewoman comes over to talk to me. She introduces herself as PC Sharma, and I later learn that she’s Maya’s mum. We’ve exchanged texts and spoken on the phone, but it’s the first time we’ve met. No one could ever have imagined it would be in these circumstances.

‘I don’t know how to thank you. Your dog saved my daughter’s life.’ She speaks to me as a mother, not as a police officer.

‘Don’t thank me, thank Harry.’

Hugging him as he lies wrapped in a blanket in the back of a patrol car, I find my face streaked with smoke and tears. According to the firefighters’ reports, Harry didn’t just save Maya’s life, he saved Stanley’s too. He refused to leave him, and it was his whimpering that led them to Stanley, and they were both found curled up together under the bed. Stanley has been rushed to hospital; they’re confident he’s going to make a full recovery. Meanwhile the firefighters gave Harry oxygen, in a desperate attempt to resuscitate him.

PC Sharma bends down and strokes his soft head.

‘He’s a hero,’ she says and a look passes between us. I bury my nose in Harry’s fur, which smells of smoke and fire and bravery.

‘Harry the hero,’ I murmur, wondering how it’s possible that you can love something so much and feeling a tidal wave of relief as, still wobbly from the smoke inhalation, he manages to wag his tail.

STAGE 7

The Best is Yet to Come

Hey you,

Sorry I haven’t written for a while. The last few weeks have been crazy. So much has happened since my last email about the fire. It’s only now I’ve finally had the chance to sit down and write.

After Stanley was discharged from hospital he went to live at his aunt’s with Ben. They’re going to stay there until their house is fixed up. Luckily the fire damage looks a lot worse than it actually is. It’s mostly smoke damage, but it’s going to need a lot of clearing up and the furniture replacing. Thankfully the insurance has agreed to pay out.

Still, like Ben said, none of that stuff’s important – it can all be replaced. What’s important is that everyone got out safely and Stanley’s made a full recovery. He’s even started at his new school. I think Ben was worried Stanley might be too traumatized to take up his place. Stanley doesn’t like change. It scares him. But when the reporter from the local paper interviewed him, Stanley said that Harry’s bravery had given him courage and made him brave too.

The article made the front page, and there was a photo of Stanley with Harry. The headline was ‘HARRY THE HERO’. Can you believe it? Thrown away like a piece of trash, Harry is now a national treasure. But then I always knew he was special. When I think how close I came to nearly losing him in the fire . . . well, it doesn’t bear thinking about. I couldn’t imagine my life without him now. Maya says I rescued Harry, so now he’s rescued us back.