Pitbull Puppy

An early morning fire nearly claimed the life of a Pittsburgh man on Monday — but his 7-month-old Pit Bull, Diamond, saved the day.

Gary Terrell told Channel 4 Action News that he was fast asleep when the dog sniffed out the inferno and began to bark and jump all over her new owner. Terrell managed to escape from his second-floor apartment just in time, along with an upstairs neighbor, who might have otherwise perished because the building apparently lacked working smoke detectors.

Based on his close call, Terrell had something to say about the breed's reputation: "They're not that bad after all — they're great dogs. I lost everything, and I have my life. I have my dog."

<a href='http://video.app.msn.com/?mkt=en-us&vid=31ea4fbc-8438-49e1-9089-63016d81fc46&from=&src=v5:embed::' _cke_saved_href='http://video.app.msn.com/?mkt=en-us&vid=31ea4fbc-8438-49e1-9089-63016d81fc46&from=&src=v5:embed::' target='_new' title='Fire Victim Credits Pet Pit Bull For Saving Life'>Video: Fire Victim Credits Pet Pit Bull For Saving Life</a>