Alarming footage of a dog almost burning down her owner's home is going viral, and it should serve as a warning to pet owners everywhere.
Matthew Ruffino came home to find a mess in his kitchen and smoldering soda cans on his stove.
And against all odds, his German shepherd, Dahlia, was to blame.
Bad Dog!
In footage from Ruffino's home security camera, Dahlia and his other German shepherd, Hendrix, can be seen making a mess of his kitchen.
He clarified that the pair are usually locked out of the kitchen by the gate seen at the far end of the room, but they were being bad dogs.
Dahlia can be seen jumping up on the stove, trying to get at the soda Ruffino had left there, when she accidentally turned a nob and lit the element.
The pop cans fizzled and exploded as the dogs cowered away from the oven, before jumping over the fence again to avoid the flames.
Thankfully, the fire burned itself out soon after it started, but it had still left an awful mess for Ruffino to find when he came home.
"I've never known of a dog being able to start a stove like that," he told Inside Edition about the video evidence of Dahlia's bad behavior.
"So after actually seeing her nose turn it on, I was blown away. I've never seen anything like that before."
Pets, Pancakes, And Appliances Don't Mix
Surprisingly, Dahlia is not the first dog to let her nose lead her into serious trouble.
Security company Protect America says that pets start almost 1,000 fires a year.
In fact, Dahlia isn't even the first dog to start a kitchen fire and be caught on video this year.
Just months ago, the fire department of Southwick, Massachusetts shared security footage of a dog causing a similar fire while trying to steal pancakes left on a stove,
The dog, which looked to be a golden retriever, sat calmly on the couch after lighting the food on fire, until police arrived and turned the stove off.
The Red Cross warns that "a stove or cook top is the number one piece of equipment involved in your pet starting a fire."
They recommend purchasing safety knob covers, the kind used to keep small children from turning on the elements, to protect your curious cat or dog (and your home).
But teaching your pet not to jump or climb in the kitchen in the first place is also important.
Still, it's smart not to leave food or anything else on your stove top while you're away from home, just to keep your pets from getting the wrong idea.
Protect Your Pets, Protect Your Home
Protect America has even more advice for anxious pet owners, including buying a home alarm system linked to your smoke detector so someone will always arrive to help your pets during an emergency.
The Red Cross warns not to leaves candles burning unattended - even if you're at home in another room - because pets have a tendency to knock them over.
"Cats are notorious for starting fires when their tails turn over lit candles," the organization said.
You should even consider switching to electric candles altogether if you have curious cats or dogs.
Neatly securing electrical cords will also keep your pets from chewing on them or pulling them away from the outlets.
It's not just your home on the line, as Protect America warns that 40,000 pets are killed in house fires each year.
You can help emergency workers prevent your pets by leaving a sign in your front window or entrance way with names and descriptions of every animal in your home.
Mircochipping your pets will also guarantee they are reunited with you, in case they get separated during an emergency.
[H/T: Inside Edition]
Have your pets ever caused trouble like this?
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