KNOXVILLE, Tenn. (WATE) — A Knoxville mother is very thankful to be alive after being caught in a house fire on Paula Road Wednesday. She says the family dog, Khaleesi, came to her rescue alerting her that something was not right.

For the last decade, the 10-year-old papillon has given the Wilson family a whole lot of joy.

“She definitely wants attention quite a bit and she loves her treats,” Matthew Wilson said.

“We found her online,” Melissa said. “She was about seven months old when we got her. We adopted her from somebody in Sweetwater.”

And Khaleesi is always encouraged to be vigilant.

“Every morning when I leave, I tell her she has to take care of her momma while I’m gone so I think she takes that seriously,” Matthew said.

Khaleesi made her dad proud by raising the alarm that the house was on fire while her mom got some rest before her second shift job.

“I was completely dead asleep and at some point, she came in there barking at me,” Melissa said. “It was a little bit different, a little more urgent and authoritative. So I got up and followed her and she took me to the back of the house where the fire was and we were able to safely leave.”

“She definitely is our hero,” Matthew said. “Sometimes if we’re not feeling well or something she tries to take care of us. We’ve wondered if something really bad happened what she would do and I never had any doubt she could be a hero like that.”

Melissa added, “She’s just a good dog. She loves us and takes care of us. She is very smart, she’s kind of like a miniature border collie so there’s never a dull moment.”

Nobody was hurt in the fire and the Wilsons lost many of their belongings. However, the family is appreciative of the people that are stepping in to help during their time of need.