TALLADEGA – Nancy Jones was folding clothes at her home on Cherry Street Monday morning when she noticed something strange. Her guide dog, Pooh, had brought her leash to Jones, which the dog had never done before. After the poodle’s leash was put on, Pooh aggressively pulled Jones out the front door. As Jones was being led out, she noticed the smell of natural gas and realized there was a leak in her home.

Jones was surprised to see that Pooh had brought the leash to her because the leash was hanging approximately six feet high and Pooh had never tried to reach it before. Jones said that she had always got the leash for Pooh herself.

“That caught me completely off guard,” said Jones. “That was a feat in itself.”

Jones, who is almost blind, said that Pooh was “very well mannered” and has never acted the way she did Monday morning. She also said Pooh’s behavior was “very consistent” and the dog usually walks alongside her calmly, or in heel mode.

“I was surprised at her reaction,” said Jones. “That had never happened.”

Jones said she got the service dog from the Pilot Dog Program based out of Columbus, Ohio, and that both she and Pooh were trained together through the program.

“They’re trained for a lot of things, but I don’t know if she was trained for that,” said Jones.

Jones said when she smelled the gas, all she could think of was to turn it off. However, Jones said she didn’t know where to turn it off and, because of her visual impairment, she would not have been able to find it by herself. After exiting her home, Jones called 911.

Capt. Ronnie Davis of the Talladega Fire Department responded to the call and said the leak was found to be coming from Jones’ hot water heater. Davis shut off the natural gas and opened doors so that the gas vapors could escape from the home. Alabama Gas later responded and fixed the leak.

Davis said a pilot light was on and, if the home had completely filled up with the natural gas, it could have been a dangerous situation.

Jones said when she was a child, she was once in an automobile that caught fire and later exploded. Jones escaped the gas explosion by crawling out the vehicle’s window. Jones said since that event, she has been “scared of gas leaks.”

As a reward for the heroic act, Jones says that Pooh will get extra treats, new bows for her ears and “a lot of love.”

“I don’t know what I would do without her,” said Jones. “Especially after today.”

Contact Kenny Farmer at kfarmer@dailyhome.com.