(AP) — A man in the Mississippi Delta says he and his son are still alive because their dog alerted them that their house was on fire.

Elmo Proctor tells the Greenwood Commonwealth that the family’s pit bull dog, named AP, pushed open a door and woke him by barking as the rental home filled with smoke Monday night.

Proctor and his son, Quincy Wilkins, were able to leave the home quickly. But, Proctor says he went back in to lead AP to safety.

Proctor says: “That dog saved my life.”

The Greenwood Fire Department extinguished the blaze. It was contained to the kitchen, but other parts of the home had smoke damage.