An article and video from the Huffington Post.

A female boxer named Stella has the dedicated men of the Santa Monica Fire Department to thank for her new leash on life.

Stella’s owners weren’t home when a fire broke out on Saturday morning in a 5-story apartment building, KTLA5 reports.

She had hidden herself behind a mattress and was unconscious when firefighters found her.

She’d suffered smoke inhalation, and it took a full 15 minutes with an oxygen mask before she started to respond.

When Stella finally recovered, cheers erupted from the crowd that had gathered.

A boy at the scene told KTLA, “Everybody got excited because it’s a dog, man’s best friend.”

The fire caused no injuries and Stella was taken to an animal hospital to continue recuperating.