THE ELK VALLEY TIMES

Observer and News

418 N. Elk Ave Fayetteville, TN. 37334

931-433-6151

Mulberry man credits dog with saving his life

Paul Henry, Staff Writer

Mulberry’s Raymond Worrilow, Jr., credits his life to Deja, a five-year-old German Shepherd owned by neighbor Amy Litaker.

Worrilow, who spends his days confined to a wheelchair, was in the process of frying bacon in his home at 19 Back Street in Mulberry on July 3 a little before 2 p.m. when things quickly got out of control.

“The bacon got too hot and started to burn,” said Worrilow. I was in my electric wheelchair at the time, and when I turned to get a towel to handle the hot skillet, the wheelchair turned over.”

“It’s not an easy task to get the chair upright and back in it when you’re alone,” he said, noting his wife, Cathy, wasn’t at home at the time.

“ The fire was spreading very fast while I was still on the floor. Everything in the room was on fire.”

“I heard Deja barking loud, even howling”, said dog owner Amy Litaker. “I looked out the window from my house across the street and saw her running back and forth on the Worrilow’s front porch. There wasn’t any sign of smoke or anything wrong, at least not yet. I think she heard Raymond yelling for help. The kitchen was on the back side of the house so I couldn’t hear anything.

“ A couple minutes later, I didn’t hear her anymore, so I looked out the window again, and I saw smoke coming out a window and began hearing firecrackers going off. That’s when I called for help.

“But, I didn’t see Deja.”

As it turns out, Deja was inside the burning structure with Worrilow.

“With the house on fire, this dog had opened the door and come looking for me,” said Worrilow, “even with firecrackers going off in a burning storage room next to the kitchen. She’s smart, and I’ve seen her open doors and gates. I was still on the floor, and she was licking and pawing as if she was telling me to ‘get up’, ‘get up’.

“I managed to get into my chair but turned over again in the living room before I got out the front door. Deja did the same thing again, licking and pawing me until I managed to get up, staying with me the whole time.

“I was exhausted. The smoke and heat were terrible. Without her, I may have just laid there. I’ve got to give her credit with me being here today.”

“It’s amazing he got out alive and unhurt, “his wife, Cathy said.” He had some hair get singed, but other than that he’s okay. I couldn’t believe it when I got the call the house was burning. I thought they were playing a joke on me at first.

“Of course, the most important thing is that no one was injured, but it was a total loss,” Cathy added. “My son had a lot of his things stored, and he lost those things as well. There’s a fire station not a block away from the house, but it’s not in use because of funding.

“We’ll probably rebuild on the same spot,” Raymond and Cathy both added.

“I grew up in Maryland, and Cathy if from around Hazel Green. Mulberry is a nice quiet little town, and it’s become home. I think this is where we want to stay.”