"Good thing I woke up because I swear I never would have got her out," said Anthony.
And that brings us to a hounddog mix named Scooby. Anthony gives him the credit for waking him up, even as the house was burning. The dog wouldn't leave Anthony's mother's bedside.
"I started opening the door up all the way and he ran in the house, and I kept saying, 'Scooby, come on. Get up,' and I got mother over here and I ran back to the door and he came running out," said Anthony.
He has singe marks on his coat to prove it.
Technically Scooby's a neighborhood dog, but he's been with the family for years since the day Anthony saved him from an alligator that had him by the leg.
"And he never forgot me for it," said Anthony. "Got a gator off him in that front ditch with a boat paddle, so last night was payback time, I guess."
Until Wednesday morning, the house was move-in ready after months of work. The contractors were there for what were to be finishing touches, and steaks to celebrate the completion. The steaks were about all that was salvaged. Scooby sniffed them out.
"The dog stuck his head in there and found a steak and went out back," said one of the contractors at Anthony's home.
It seems a small reward for braving a fire, but Scooby's not complaining. Like Anthony, he's grateful he still has his family. Houses can be rebuilt.
