By Hamish HeardA WILLIAMSTOWN man who rushed into a stranger’s burning home to rescue its three occu
The 28-year-old believed people might be inside the blazing Osborne Ave duplex when he stumbled on it while returning from the beach at 5.30pm last Saturday.
But closer inspection revealed the sounds of animals in distress so the man, who asked only to be identified as Andrew, smashed his way in to rescue a dog and two cats.
“I was the second on the scene and another person was already calling the fire brigade,” Andrew said.
The brave insurance company manager was frantically knocking on a door at one of the two flaming homes in the duplex when he heard a dog barking.
“I just didn’t think twice and did what came naturally,” Andrew said.
He forced his way into the home through a bedroom window and searched the smoke-filled house in case someone was asleep before grabbing Spud and kicking open the front door.
“My main concern was making sure no one was in the house but there were animals in there and they’re like humans to a lot of people so it was important to get them out.”
The animals’ owners certainly agreed and one of them, local primary teacher Cath Curwood, was quick to deliver a slab of beer to Andrew’s house the next morning.
Ms Curwood was not insured and lost the entire contents of the rented property except for her prized mongrel Spud.
“It was just an extraordinary, generous and heroic thing for him to do,” the 31-year-old said of Spud’s saviour.
“I’m one of those people who don’t have children and pamper their pets so Spud means a lot to me.”
Two cats belonging to Ms Curwood’s housemate’s were also rescued.
“ I visited Andrew and I took him some beer because I wanted to make myself known,” Ms Curwood said.
She said seven-year old Spud had endured a troubled life until she adopted him from an animal shelter two years ago.
Spud’s original owner was institutionalised because of mental health issues and had to give him up.
Three months later the man was reuinited with Spud during a chance encounter at a Williamstown park and he convinced Ms Curwood to give the dog back.
“I was devastated because I had grown really fond of him even though it was only a few months,” Ms Curwood said.
“But he was a really lonely guy and he just wanted his dog back.”
Several months later a heartbroken Ms Curwood, who was grieving over the recent murder of her younger brother, stumbled across Spud in the same park.
He was with the original owner’s mother who told Ms Curwood that her son had committed suicide and offered to give her the dog back.
“You could say he has had an interesting life,” Ms Curwood said.
“He’s a terrier-mongrel crossbreed from a shelter in North Melbourne, but I love him.”
