A family escaped a blaze which ripped through their kitchen today after their dog raised the alarm by licking his sleeping owner’s face.

Carer Chris Blakemore, was woken by collie cross Jack Russell Bobby as smoke filled the house when a washing machine caught fire at 5.45am.

Mr Blakemore’s partner Laura Chambers, aged 24, had got up minutes earlier to put a load of washing on but had gone back upstairs and was unaware that an electrical fault had started a severe blaze.

The family was only alerted by the dog as their smoke alarms did not go off.

Mr Blakemore, aged 26,  said the entire family could have been trapped upstairs but for their pet. “I’m a heavy sleeper and my partner hadn’t realised there was a fire,” he said.

“The dog licked my face and I woke up. He wakes me up most mornings but he was yelping much more than usual.”

He said the family became aware the dog was distressed and five-year-old son Connor went downstairs to see what was wrong.

Miss Chambers, a carer and nursery cleaner, had been getting Connor and his two-year-old brother Jack ready for a day out. “Connor went down and came upstairs saying there was a fire. I thought he was joking at first,” Mr Blakemore said.

“I tried to put the fire out with a wet tea towel but nothing was happening, so I called the fire brigade. I only got Bobby on Thursday for my birthday and he has already saved my life.

Connor helped get his little brother out of the house and I’m really proud of him.”

Mr Blakemore said he would be getting his dog a big joint of meat to treat him while Connor, who attends St Edmund & St John CofE Primary School in Beechwood Road, Dudley, would be rewarded with sweets.

Fire crews from Tipton attended the blaze. Watch Commander Paul Harpin said the outcome could have been terrible but for the dog’s actions.