Weymouth, MA – Nancy Sheerin says she might not be alive today were it not for a well-timed kiss on the nose.
Sheerin, who is in her 70s, was home alone with her 3-year-old golden retriever Reilly during the worst of this week’s massive blizzard when she says the dog deliberately woke her up by licking her face to alert her to a screeching carbon monoxide detector, the Patriot Ledger reported.
Sheerin, who is hard of hearing, had taken her hearing aids out for the night and didn’t hear the alarm when it went off at 4 a.m. Tuesday.
“She was a very good dog,” Sheerin said Thursday. “I don’t think I would be here without her waking me up.”
With her hearing aids back in, Sheerin could hear the shrieking alarm and called the fire department.
Firefighters detected a build-up of carbon monoxide caused by a snow blocked furnace vent in her Courier Street home.
Weymouth Deputy Fire Chief Richard Chase said that a malfunctioning furnace had leaked carbon monoxide, triggering the alarm. The detector measured 4 parts per million of the toxic gas.
“Anything over nine parts per million is a concern,” he said.
If the woman had not wakened, the leak could have worsened, said Chase.
Sheerin and Reilly spent the night with a neighbor.
Sheerin said she’s not surprised that Reilly stepped up in a pinch. She got Reilly as an 8-week-old puppy and trained her as a therapy dog. They visit nursing homes and homebound elders together.
“She and I are very close,” Sheerin said. “I don’t go anywhere without my dog.”