Twin Lakes man says his dog saved his life

TWIN LAKES, Wis. (CBS58)--A Twin Lakes man is thanking his dog for saving his life. He was sleeping when his apartment caught fire. The man's one-year-old pup woke him up.

"She went to the front door and started attacking it," James Tankersley said.

He also heard his neighbors calling his name.

“They said Tank get out of the house," Tankersley said. "When I looked out the door, the flames were 30 or 40 feet high."

"Smoke just started pouring through the roof and I couldn’t breathe.”

He says the fire originally started from his neighbor’s apartment.

“I basically stood outside for five hours in nothing but my tennis shoes and my socks.”

Every time he thinks about that cold night, his dog, Pepper, comes to mind.

“Pepper saved my life."

That's because she woke him up just in time.

“We’ve seen big apartment fires in Twin Lakes, Janesville, Beaver Dam, Menasha. It's really all over the place and affects all types of people.”

Justin Kern said. He is the communications director for Red Cross

He says his team has been busy day in and day out.

“The reason we are able to respond and answer the call is because of our volunteers and because of the generosity of the American public," Kern said.

Tankersley say he is hoping he can find a new home for him and Pepper. He is currently staying at a motel in Richmond, IL. If you would like to help, you can call Tankersley at (850)-276-1492