For decades dogs have been taking the wrap for missing homework, but one Northern California couple can blame their pooch for starting a house fire.
Owners Terry and Shay Weisbrich say a sunbeam reflected off their dogs shiny water bowl," igniting their wooden Bennet Valley home on Wednesday afternoon, reported T
he Press Democrat of Santa Ross.
The couple's usually quiet canine alerted them to the blaze, continuously barking until his owners appeared.
Although authorities were able to get the flames under control before any irreparable damage was done, the fire did leave a hole in the home's siding.
Firefighter Rene Torres originally suspected faulty wiring. Once on the scene, he removed bits of siding around the charred area. After discovering it was not the fire's starting point, he then eyed the metal dog dish.
Torres returned the bowl to its original position, and a reflected beam of light hit right the home's charred area.
"It was uncanny. There was a dot of concentrated light rig tin that exact area," explained Torres.
The couple were grateful their home was only slightly burned. But as firefighters were leaving, Terry Weisberch phoned the bowl's manufacturers, calling it "something they need to warn consumers about."
The couple's flat-coated retriever, Toby, is now lapping water from his replacement bowl.