SPRINGFIELD, Ga () — An act of heroism from a furry companion saved a family from a burning home in Springfield and the family is dealing with the loss of their pets and how they plan to move forward.

spoke to homeowner Jeff Rainwater who lost his pets during a house fire in March. He explained, “I was sleeping right in here,” as he pointed to the now burned home. “And then when I came out of my bedroom and I looked to the left, all this right in here was blazing. There was a solid flame.

The sound of barking coming from the family’s Great Dane, Easton, is actually what woke Jeff up, saving him by just seconds.

“…I got up to see what they were barking at and when I took my mask off, I could smell smoke,” he recapped. “And I said, ‘Well, something ain’t right.”

With his mind racing, Jeff said he couldn’t help but think about Easton and his other pets that hadn’t followed him out the door, sadly losing them in the process.

“He thought he was in trouble by protecting me,” he said. “You know, he didn’t realize that what he was doing, what he did, saved my life. So, I feel kind of guilty that I didn’t go back in and get him. But I’ve been trained, and I know don’t go back in a burning building and the black smoke was already barreling by the time I got to the front door.”

He praised Effingham County’s emergency personnel for their swift response.

“As soon as they had this under control, they went in the house, and he was the first thing they brought out,” Rainwater said. “Then they found the cats and brought them out.  The EMS paramedics started their resuscitation doing everything in their power to bring the animals back.”

He continued, “Then something they did that I’ve never heard of before is they buried my animals for me.  And they gave him an honor burial. It is pretty impressive that that’s above and beyond the call of duty, you know? And we are blessed in Effingham County to have the people we have.”

A house that was once a home, now burned, will take time to rebuild.

Jeff told there is not a second that goes by that he does not think of the heroic actions of Easton.

“I would just tell him, ‘Buddy, you did your job, you know, you are here to protect me and you did, you know, you did your job,” he told . “You went out the right way.”

The Rainwater family is now trying to move forward – and are leaning on family, friends and the community for help. If you would like to pitch in and help, the VENMO accounts are listed below: @Jeff_Rainwater @Missy-Rainwater.