Spike, a bearded dragon, has been hailed as a hero after rescuing his owner from a house fire in Washington state. Donald Hale is grateful to have had a companion during that incident and is now counting his blessings.
Even though Hale and Spike are practically inseparable, he will always remember this particular day.
He told KIRO, “I witnessed a miracle right here laying on this couch because if my dragon don’t wake me up, if he don’t wake me up, I don’t be here talking to y’all.”
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That evening of May 17, Hale had returned from a 13-mile run and had taken some melatonin before dozing off on the couch. So, when the two smoke alarms started to sound, he didn’t hear them.
Fortunately for him, though, Spike was on hand to save their Federal Way apartment when the fire broke out. The reptile woke his sleeping owner using its incredibly long tail like a whip.
“Didn’t no neighbor come and wake me up. Didn’t no alarm wake me up. My dragon woke me up,” Hale remarked.
After waking up, he acted quickly and went to the bathroom, where he found the issue.
“When I opened the cabinet, from the pressure, the smoke and fire came out. I backed out… grabbed something to put the water in, came back and put it out,” he reconted.
He suspects that the fire was started when someone poured something down the drain. Still, Hale is thankful to both God and his silent buddy for saving his life.
“He don’t make no noise. He don’t bark. He don’t holler. But he made the loudest noise that day I ever heard in my life by banging on my face,” he said of Spike.
According to National Geographic, the bearded dragon, which are affectionately called “beardies,” are equipped with armor of spiny reptilian scales, which include a “beard” of spikes under its chin that puffs up depending on its mood. There are eight species species of bearded dragons recognized today.
The outlet noted that among the most popular pet reptiles, bearded dragons tend to be gentle, inquisitive, and active during the day. The central bearded dragon, Pogona vitticeps, is the most common species to have as a pet. They can live from 4 to 10 years.
Although Australia prohibited the export of wild bearded dragons in the 1960s, the United States has been breeding them for decades for the pet trade, and they are available in a range of color “morphs” that are uncommon in the wild.
According to the Reptile Center, these omnivores are generally calm, slow-moving creatures with a tendency to be passive rather than aggressive, making them suitable pets.
Hale promises to reward Spike with a trip to the Grand Canyon, which is a thoughtful treat given that bearded dragons usually stick to warm, arid regions like savannas, scrublands, subtropical forests, and deserts.
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