Dog from Long Beach shelter now a San Diego hero

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Helene Shaughnessy’s 4-year-old shepherd mix Ellie normally sleeps downstairs in her San Diego home, but on Oct. 21, 2006, the dog barked and nuzzled her owner, waking her up -- unusual for the normally shy animal.

Although the Witch Creek fire had been about 20 miles from her home when she went to sleep, Shaughnessy looked out the window when Ellie awakened her and realized the flames were just hundreds of feet away. Shaughnessy quickly collected Ellie and her cats and fled the home, which was destroyed by fire within hours.

One of several wildfires that devastated Southern California last fall, the Witch Creek fire burned 197,000 acres, destroyed 1,125 homes and killed two people.

On Tuesday, Ellie was honored in downtown Los Angeles with the 26th National Hero Dog Award by the Society for the Prevention of Cruelty to Animals Los Angeles. The award is presented to an animal that is not formally trained for rescues or law enforcement. SPCALA President Madeline Bernstein is on the left in the photo, and Shaughnessy is on the right with Ellie.

Jeff Blodgett, spokesman for the organization, said the presentation marked the first time in the history of the award that the honor has been given to a dog adopted from an SPCALA shelter. Helene adopted Ellie from agency’s P.D. Pitchford Companion Animal Village in Long Beach in August 2006.

-Francisco Vara-Orta