Dog given bravery award for saving owner's life Barbie, a seven-year-old Jack Russell terrier, managed to alert her partially-sighted owner Rosemary Field when she did not realise that her bed was on fire. Mrs Field, 72, was asleep at her home in Bristol in the early hours of March 1 when a lit bedside lamp fell onto her bed. The hot bulb burned a hole through her quilt and blankets before setting fire to her mattress. Barbie, who was sleeping in the bedroom, woke up sensing the danger and licked Mrs Field's face in an effort to wake her up. Mrs Field woke briefly to tell Barbie to go away and settle down. So Barbie tried again, and this time Mrs Field woke up and noticed the fire. After throwing a jug of water over the flames, she called the fire brigade. One of the firefighters who attended the scene told Mrs Field that Barbie had undoubtedly saved her life. RSPCA Bristol and District branch manager Eddie Grinham said: "I was touched by how alert Barbie was to the danger her owner was in. It is an incredible story of the strong bond between a dog and its owner - sensing danger this little dog did not run away but overcame her own fear to persist in trying to get her owner to come with her. I believe Barbie should be awarded for her actions. The RSPCA will present Barbie and her owner with an award at a later date.