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https://www.msn.com/en-us/news/us/dog-trainer-dies-heroically-saving-pets-from-house-fire/ar-AAUtCda?ocid=msedgntp
A dog trainer in Detroit has been praised by friends after dying while rescuing dogs from a burning home.
Gary Majors managed to save the lives of eight of his own dogs and a client's American bulldog after his home in the Green Acres area caught fire in the early hours of Monday.
Majors was inside the house as heavy smoke flowed out of the second-floor window. Eight of his 11 dogs were rescued, and friends described him running in and out of the building to save them.
"He was trying to get his dogs out of the house, running in and out trying to put the fire out with the fire extinguisher," friend Kenneth Young told Fox 2 Detroit. "I guess the smoke must have got him, but he was trying to save the dogs."
"He loved his dogs," Young said. "Those dogs were like his kids, precious joy to him."
The Detroit Fire Department is reportedly still investigating how the fire started, but friends and family believe a space heater could have been the cause.
At least two of Majors' French Bulldogs died in the blaze alongside their owner.
Newsweek has contacted the Detroit Fire Department for comment.
According to the American Veterinary Medical Association, around 40,000 pets die in residential fires every year, the majority due to smoke inhalation.
Majors was a dog trainer whose puppies often performed in dog shows. According to reports, they were able to perform various tricks and even ride skateboards.
His cousin, DeAundre Banks, commended Majors and said his death would leave a hole in the family's life. "My daughter, she's going to miss him. He had a three-wheeler, what's the name of the car he had? Vanderhall. He used to come on the east side and take my daughter for a ride."
"She would run straight out the door, running straight to get in the Vanderhall with him," she told Fox 2 Detroit.
In January, an Oklahoma man also died after re-entering a burning house to save his family's dog.
According to reports, the family in that case was awoken by fire alarms and managed to leave the home safely, but soon realized the pet was still inside. The husband decided to re-enter the home to try to save the dog. Despite managing to rescue their pet, the husband sadly lost his own life while doing so.
In November, a stranger passing by a California house managed to save a family's pets after noticing the house was on fire with smoke coming out the top. The anonymous jogger alerted the family, who were away from home at the time, using the house's Ring doorbell feature.