Dogs alert owner to dangerous carbon monoxide leak in Mississauga

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Published March 22, 2024 at 3:03 pm

mississauga dogs carbon monoxide leak
Two dogs alerted their owner to a potentially dangerous carbon monoxide leak in Mississauga - photo via Mississauga FES on X

Mississauga firefighters are praising a conscientious neighbour and her two dogs for detecting and reporting a potentially dangerous carbon monoxide (CO) leak at a home in Mississauga. 

According to a post shared on X by Mississauga Fire and Emergency Services, a resident became concerned when her two dogs refused to settle down after their morning walk, seemingly irritated by a persistent beeping coming from a nearby townhome. 

The resident initially assumed the beep was a forgotten alarm and decided to continue working, but when the dogs wouldn’t calm down, she called the fire department to ask if the beeping might be something more sinister. 

“The voice on the other end asked me to wait for a few seconds and connected me to the fire department emergency line. I asked the next person the same question and they asked me to explain the beep. I said it was three beeps then a pause and then three beeps and another pause. He said it sounds like the carbon monoxide alarm and that he would send a truck out immediately.” 

The resident wrote in her post to social media that firefighters arrived and checked the carbon monoxide levels in her home before proceeding to the neighbour’s house and sticking their detector in an open window. The post said the readings were “through the roof, well above 200 ppm.”

The post said the leak was caused by the home’s over-20-year-old furnace, which began leaking again the next day after the homeowners left for work. 

When the beeps sounded for a second day in a row and the dogs began barking, the resident called the fire department again. 

Emergency crews arrived again and, according to the post, the furnace was replaced entirely. 

Carbon monoxide leaks can be deadly, firefighters have said repeatedly over the years.

According to the Ontario government, carbon monoxide is known as a “silent killer” because it is an invisible, tasteless and odourless gas. Over 65 per cent of CO-related injuries and deaths in Ontario occur in the home.

The province’s website says CO is produced when fuels such as propane, gasoline, natural gas, heating oil or wood do not burn completely in fuel-burning appliances and devices, such as furnaces, fireplaces, hot water heaters, stoves, barbeques, portable heaters, generators and vehicles. 

Exposure to CO can cause headaches, nausea, dizziness, confusion, drowsiness, loss of consciousness and death. 

All households are encouraged to install CO detectors and test them regularly. 

“We are sharing this story as a powerful reminder of how individual actions can have a significant impact on community safety,” Mississauga firefighters wrote on X.

“Great job by these furry friends and, of course, their owner!”

In the post, the resident said the dogs were rewarded for being so alert. 

“My dogs were great throughout the entire process and got lots of treats,” she wrote. “They are little heroes.” 

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