Hero Dog Found Dead In Rubble of Razed Woodbridge Home

A dog who was reported missing after flames engulfed a Fords home on Jan. 9 was found dead among the rubble of the home.

Rocky Granata and Ann Marie Kelt, two residents of the home, credited Stella, a mixed-breed dog, with saving them from the fire, according to myCentralJersey.com.

Flames broke out in the house in the Fords section of Woodbridge in the early morning on Jan. 9 in a kitchen on the bottom floor of multi-unit home on King Georges Road, NJ.com reported on Friday last week. Fords Fire Department first received a report of the fire at 6:10 a.m. and were able to contain the fire by 9:30 a.m.

Three people were taken to the hospital and Stella was reported missing.

On Tuesday, Granata went back to the scene of the fire to try and recover Kelt’s purse. Granata found the purse and, as a result, found Stella, myCentralJersey.com said. Stella was found under a blanket, clutching Kelt’s purse.

Kelt, Stella’s owner, said the dog alerted her of the blaze and she then woke up Granata. The residents fled the building and Granata called for Stella as they fled, but the dog, who was suffering from cancer and a heart condition, stayed in the home, myCentralJersey.com said.

Kelt’s daughter, Megan Holden, said a veterinarian said the dog likely succumbed to smoke inhalation as the home filled with smoke, the website reported. Holden said there were no burns to Stella’s coat.

The family plans to leave flowers by the apartment building’s fence as a memorial to Stella.

Woodbridge Township Spokesman John Hagerty said gift cards and other financial donations for Kelt and Granata can be dropped off at the Woodbridge Animal Shelter, located at 195 Woodbridge Ave.

Read more about this story at myCentralJersey.com.