In the six months that he'd worked at his aunt's shelter, Bryan had never grown close to a dog, but Patch was different. Now the dog with the perfect black circle over his right eye had been in the corner kennel for three weeks, and Bryan knew that meant trouble. Kennel policy was to put down dogs that had not been adopted after 10 days.

Aunt Kim had warned him: "Don't fall in love with this dog, Bry. Your mom says no dogs." The fact that Patch was deaf did not help. That was the real reason he hadn't been adopted, even after all his siblings had gotten new homes. Bryan opened the cage, and Patch crawled into his lap, licking his fingers and rolling over for his belly rub.

"It's not your fault you're deaf," Bryan said, laughing as Patch playfully licked his face. "Don't worry, because I've got a plan!"

Later, as Bryan got ready to leave, his heart started to pound. He slung his gym bag over his shoulder and snuck toward the kennels. Bryan made sure no one was coming, then sprinted down the hall to Patch's cage.

"Here we go," Bryan muttered, tucking the dog into the bag. He hefted the strap over his shoulder and tried to walk normally without jostling it too much, throwing his aunt a wave as he passed the front desk. Then feet from the door, Patch yelped, and Bryan felt his blood freeze. He grasped the bag tightly and ran for his bike.

Two hours after arriving home with Patch, Bryan sat fuming in his room. "I can't believe her!" he snarled, hurling a sneaker at the wall. "Sorry buddy," he whispered, pulling Patch into his lap. "I really tried." He had told his mom he would take care of Patch, that it would teach him responsibility, and that if Patch went back, he'd be put to sleep.

"Bryan James, no dogs means no dogs. Patch goes back tomorrow!" Mom had said. With that she had turned to light her candles. Mom worked in the hospital ER, so she meditated in candlelight to unwind. Bryan had stalked away, furious. Now, sitting in his room with Patch, Bryan felt hot tears stinging his eyes. Only his little sister, Sarah, had been happy to see Patch.

"Can we keep him?! What's his name? Can he sleep with me?" Sarah had said.

Bryan lay awake that night. Patch crawled onto his bed, and soon he fell asleep to the dog's steady, rhythmic breathing.

High-pitched squeals and unbearable howls woke Bryan sometime later. Squinting into the dark, he could see Patch scratching frantically at the door. Bryan got up to quiet the dog, but he froze when he saw an orange glow under the door and black smoke snaking into his room. The knob was cool in his hand, so Bryan pulled the door open. Red-yellow flames licked greedily at the hallway entrance, blocking the front door. Suddenly, Patch bolted down the hall. "Patch!" Bryan yelled, before realizing he was calling a deaf dog.

He found Patch in Sarah's room, tugging her out of bed by the sleeve. By the sleeve. Bryan pushed Sarah to the window and yelled, "Jump with Patch!" Sarah just buried her hand in the dog's neck. Patch pawed at Sarah and whined.

Suddenly, a loud sound came from the hall. At the same moment, Sarah and Patch leapt out the window to safety. Racing back into the smoky hallway, Bryan tripped over his mom, who sat on the floor coughing. She seemed barely able to catch her breath. "Mom, get up!" Bryan begged. Grabbing her by the arms, Bryan tried to drag her to the hall window, but he was exhausted. He looked up just in time to hear voices and feel strong arms pull them both to safety.

Outside, Bryan gulped cold air into his lungs. He sat wrapped in blankets with his mom, Sarah, and Patch, watching the firefighters finish up. A neighbor had heard Patch's barks and called 911. the firefighters thought a few candles had caused the fire.

"I can't believe I forgot to blow out my candles after I was done meditating," Mom said, stunned.

"Sorry about the house, Mom," Bryan said quietly.

To his surprise, Mom turned to him and smiled. "it's OK. The important thing is that our family is safe." She leaned over to scratch Patch's head. "Our whole family."

This story is special because, even though it is fictional, "The Rescue" was based on a real dog named Patch who was actually deaf. He belonged to the author's neighbors-Bryan and Sarah-in Hawaii. They adopted him from a shelter and eventually trained him by using hand signals and lots of love. This author hopes that their story will inspire others to adopt pets from shelters, even if they are a bit "unique."

In the event of a fire, it's important to know exactly where to go. You can help your family by making a fire escape plan with them.