Toph

Animal Hall of Fame Award Recipient: Blind Dog Rescues Ontario Couple from Burning Home 

“He's my hero dog. If it wasn't for him, we would have probably died from smoke too,” says Judy Spry. 

In the early hours of July 16, 2025, around 4:20 a.m., Judy was jolted awake in her basement suite in St. Charles, Ontario, by her blind Great Pyrenees dog, Toph, who had smelled smoke. 

“If it wasn’t for Toph being so persistent, we wouldn’t have gotten out,” Judy recalls. 

Born blind, 3-year-old Toph barked relentlessly until Judy got out of bed and noticed the smell of smoke. Her husband, Chris, immediately sprang into action, rushing upstairs to alert Judy’s elderly parents. 

“Chris grabbed a fire extinguisher and ran upstairs, only to be hit by a blast of heat and smoke. He started screaming ‘fire’ to wake my parents because he couldn’t reach them,” Judy explains. 

With no time to spare, Judy and Chris devised a quick escape plan. They climbed onto a dresser and crawled out through a basement window. Chris, a former member of the Canadian Armed Forces in North Bay, helped their husky-mix dog, Aya, out first. But Toph, weighing nearly 100 pounds, needed a different approach. 

“Chris ran to the shed, grabbed a garden hose, fashioned a harness and—with help from our neighbour, a volunteer firefighter—pulled Toph to safety.” 

Tragically, Judy’s elderly parents and their two dogs and cat, who lived upstairs, did not survive the fire, which completely destroyed the home. Judy has leaned on her faith to cope with the heartbreaking loss. 

Judy remains deeply grateful to her blind dog, whose heightened sense of smell and protective instincts saved both her and Chris. 

“We’re lucky. We’re very lucky,” she says. 

Today, the couple and their two dogs are living in a trailer on the property that miraculously escaped damage. They are awaiting updates on their insurance claims and hope to move into a new home soon. 

A heartfelt congratulations to Toph, a true hero and a deserving recipient of the Purina Animal Hall of Fame Award. Learn more about our program here.