San Diego firefighter Laurie Duncan (above) checks out two of the four chihuahua-mix dogs rescued from a burning house on January 4, 2010. Alas the dogs' ninety-four-year-old owner, Patsy Walsh Williams, died in the fire.

The blaze, extinguished within ten minutes, was determined to have begun with an electrical short circuit. Three others were injured in the fire, Patsy's seventy year old son-in-law, plus a good samaritan and a woman police officer who had been attempting to help the residents immediately before firefighters arrived.

Another woman officer (below) received the dogs from firefighter Laurie to transport to an animal shelter.