A Texas family is crediting their pet goose for saving the day when a fire broke out in their barn. The Gerber family says that their aptly named pet, Goosey, sounded the alarm when flames started to burn out of control one night while the family was sleeping inside the house.
The entire thing was captured on the family’s home security camera, which is another stroke of luck because we’re not sure anyone would’ve believed this tale if they didn’t have proof, since they credited Goosey’s unusual honking with alerting them that there was an emergency.
And once you listen to the footage from that night, we think you’ll agree that Goosey’s honking was very strange.
Now, the Gerber family calls the bird a hero, noting that several other nearby pet birds could’ve been injured, and spoke with CBS19 about the story.
Goosey Just Joined the Family in May
Goosey had only been part of the family for a few short months when he became unusually vocal one night. Bert Gerber told KHOU-TV that he had been dozing in front of the TV when he heard the goose making a ruckus outside. “I just casually came outside, and I saw a fire billowing out of there,” Gerber recalled. “I grabbed a water hose and ran over there.”
After having time to reflect on what happened, Gerber and his wife realized just how narrowly they avoided tragedy. “We are still in complete shock over how differently this could have ended,” Chelsea Gerber wrote in a comment posted on Facebook about the story. “We are beyond grateful everyone is safe, and we couldn’t be more proud of Goosey. He truly is our little hero.”
Be Fire-Safe When Keeping Backyard Birds
While there wasn’t any confirmation about what caused the barn fire, it’s not completely unheard of for backyard bird owners to have to deal with fire-related hazards. That’s because heat lamps can become dangerously hot, igniting the bedding and other materials found in chicken coops, according to the Backyard Chickens blog.
As such, a lot of experts warn against haphazard electrical setups, advising people to find safer heat and light sources instead. Fortunately, it doesn’t seem like errant wiring or an overheated lamp is to blame here—Texas isn’t exactly chilly in August. Hopefully, the family finds out exactly what caused their late-night blaze so that Goosey and the rest of the Gerber gang can be assured that nothing like this will ever happen again.