Dog found alive after owner loses ‘everything’ in Virginia fire

NORFOLK, Va. (WAVY) – A woman who says she “lost everything” in a fire Saturday night, has a reason to smile thanks to her dog turning up more than 12 hours after the fire started.

Zoey Chandler says she arrived home Jan. 2 to find flames coming from her second-floor unit around 9 p.m. Fire investigators believe the fire started in the kitchen of the home. 

Eleven people, including nine adults and two children, in four separate apartments, were forced to evacuate and are without a home for the foreseeable future. No one was hurt.

Chandler says she didn’t lose hope, although she didn’t know if her dog escaped or was trapped inside the home.

Luckily, after roaming the streets of her neighborhood, Chandler found her Chihuahua, on Sunday just after 10 a.m.

“Oh my God, baby. I thought I lost you,” said Chandler to her dog Taffy. “I lost everything, but I got my baby … I’ve been looking for my dog all morning, and I thought she got caught up in the fire, but I didn’t give up. I walked high and low for my dog.”

Chandler spotted Taffy from a distance and dropped to the ground as Taffy ran into her arms.

“Thank you, God, for finding my dog,” said Chandler. “I might not have everything, but I do have my life. So I guess this is a new beginning for me.”

The American Red Cross is assisting the displaced families.

Fire investigators say the cause of the fire is still under investigation. The Norfolk Fire Marshal’s Office should release new details Jan. 4.