A golden retriever named Teddy returned kindness by saving a family from a dreadful fire in Livonia, N.Y. this month. The pup was abandoned in a park on the brink of dying when William Vanzandt’s mother adopted him one year ago, rescuing the dog from a cruel death.

“He wasn't in as good shape as he is now. He was skin and bones when she got him,” Vanzandt told reporters.

Vanzandt and Kelly Sewart were watching the dog while the owner was away. The hero usually slept down stairs and was alerted by the smoke and flames. He ran upstairs and Sewart knew something was wrong. She woke up her fiancé, grabbed the kids, and Teddy as they exited the house engulfed in flames, according to ABC News.

“We just got out of there on time,” Vanzandt said. The fire was started in the fireplace where flames melted the between the bricks. The smoke alerted Teddy and he ran up the stairs and started barking. It was a matter of minutes when the flames took over the house, leaving it unsalvageable.

Teddy is more than a family pet.

"He's a God send."