INDIANAPOLIS — A west side pet owner is desperate to find her dog after a house fire sends the pet running.
"I can't, I can't leave, even if they tear the house down, I'll still be on the in the backyard waiting on my baby to come home," Holly Bennett said.
Holly Bennett is living out of a van behind her house until she finds Sasha.
"Please, anybody," Bennett said. "If you see her, take her somewhere call somebody."
Bennett's house on North Holmes Avenue went up in flames Wednesday.
"Nobody was home. Everybody was at work or on their way to work," Bennett said.
A neighbor let some of her dogs out the back door.
"The firemen went through the front door and that's how Sasha got out."
Bennett has been searching the area between Michigan and Washington Street, on the west side. But no luck so far.
Sasha is a small pitbull mix - all white with one brown eye, the other ice blue.
"She didn't have a collar on. Because I don't put their collars on unless they go outside," Bennett said.
When it comes to protecting you pets, the red cross says to keep their collars on in case firefighters need to rescue them. If you can, keep them near an entrance when you're away.
You can also get a pet alert sticker alerting first responders to the pets inside your home. they're sold at pretty much any pet store. You simply stick it on your window, letting firefighters know exactly what to expect. Make sure to keep it updated with the number of pets inside. But remember, never put yourself in danger to save a pet.
Also, when you practice your fire-escape plan, practice taking your pets with you. If there's a disaster and you have to evacuate, the most important thing you can do to protect your pets is to evacuate them, too.
Meanwhile, if you see a dog matching Sasha's description, call animal control.
"I've already been out there, they have a picture of her, she's on the Indy lost pet sites. Take her to animal control. I'll be there every day," Bennett said. "Every day I will be there looking for her."
