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© KOCO
Early Tuesday, smoke and flames filled the family's home near Wellston.

Rhonda Westenberger said she and her sister, Evelyn, were asleep, unaware of the danger, until their pit bull, named Baby, sprang to action.

The women said the dog would not stop barking and pouncing on them until the women woke up and when they did, they had just seconds to escape.

"There were flames shooting down the hallway," said Westenberger. "If Baby hadn't woken Evelyn up, I don't think either one of us would have come out of it."

The women escaped, but their other five dogs were scared and stuck inside, so once again, Baby came to the rescue.

"There was one hiding underneath the bed," said family member Charles Land. "Baby actually went in there grabbed it by the neck and drug it outside."

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© KOCO
The family's home of 17 years and everything in it is gone, but the family says their hope is not lost.

"[Baby has] always come across to us as one of the family and this just proves it," said Land.

"It brings my spirit up a lot to see the dogs," said Westenberger. "I'm so proud of her. She is my hero. She's the hero for all of us."

Rhonda Westenberger's sister Evelyn suffers from congestive heart failure and is recovering at Midwest City Regional.

Firefighters believe the fire started in the home's dryer and quickly spread.