When firefighters arrived on the scene, they discovered the 10-year-old dog unconscious, and lying on top of his owner's unresponsive body.
It's been a "ruff" couple of days, but this furry hero, whose frantic barking alerted neighbors of a house fire, has been released from the hospital — battle scars and all.
Read: Pug and Kisses: Elderly Pooch Becomes Unlikely Hero After Alerting Family to House Fire
Meet Che, a 10-year-old chow chow-mix who proved his loyalty to his sleeping owner when a fire broke out in the middle of the night at their Philadelphia home.
Neighbors said it was about 3:00 in the morning when they heard an out-of-the-ordinary yapping from the home.
"They heard Che barking, barking, barking, which is unusual for him to do in the middle of the night," said Jen Leary, founder of the Red Paw Emergency Relief that responded to the scene. "They looked out the window, saw smoke, got their families out and tried to get the neighbor out but they couldn't get the door open."
When firefighters arrived, they discovered Che, unconscious and lying on top of his owner's unresponsive body.
His owner, Andrea Bulat, was immediately taken to the hospital. She reportedly suffered burns to more than half her body and is still in a coma following the Sunday blaze.
Her cat, also living at the home, died in the fire.
Che was given oxygen at the scene and quickly regained consciousness, "but he couldn't really move, he could only lift his head up," Leary said. "The neighbors covered him in blankets and waited with him until we got there."
The Red Paw Emergency Relief Team, which works in conjunction with the fire department, immediately transported Che to a veterinary hospital, where they discovered he suffered corneal ulcers, smoke inhalation and lung inflammation.
"No burns, amazingly," Leary said.
In the following four days, veterinarians treated Che with fluids and antibiotics.
Read: Elderly K9 Officer Receives Hero's Salute Before Being Put Down: 'He Was Family'
Despite having suffered a setback in his health just the day before he was released to a close friend of his owner, Leary said they hope sending him home will help him recover faster.
"He needs help getting up, and he's still very weak," Leary told InsideEdition.com. "But he's breathing on his own. He seems to be doing okay."
The owner's friends have also since paid off Che's veterinary bill, which Leary estimates to be more than $5,000.
Watch: Firefighters Rescue 34 Dogs From Burning Home: 'It Was an Endless Chain of Dogs'
