In Jackson, New Jersey, the dog Jim Zimerla rescued from an animal shelter proved to be man’s best friend. On Sunday, the Labrador retriever, named Marley woke his favorite human up at 3:00 a.m. as a fire blazed inside of their mobile home.

According to Wave3, Jim had been fast asleep with his hearing aids out, when  the five-year-old Marley jumped up on Jim’s bed to awaken the man. As the exit had already been blocked by the fire, Jim had to think fast and opened the bedroom window. First he pushed the dog out before jumping out himself:

“There was no thinking, it was just get to the window. I was able to get it open and you know put him out the best I could and I jumped out,” Zimerla said.  “If it wasn’t for Marley, Marley’s my hero. It’s just as simple as that, Marley’s my hero. I knew when I got the dog we were meant to be. The love that I got for him, he just returned it tenfold, and then I gave him a steak the next night.”

As Jim and his relatives help to get life back together for the two “besties,” Marley is staying with a friend while Jim lives temporarily in a nearby hotel. The two just can’t wait to get back together, and really who can blame them? How many times have we heard about rescued dogs returning the favor? May there be thousands and thousands more stories just like this. Need a new best friend?  Adopt a dog from a shelter – someday he may save your life too.

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