BALTIMORE, Md. -- A baby girl is alive today and will have a future thanks to the selfless actions of her family's dog.
Erika Poremski says her family's house caught fire when she ran out to her car, prompting attempts to rescue an 8-month-old left inside the home.
Neighbors and Poremski herself attempted to get back into the home as flames erupted, but were beaten back, left with burns on their hands and faces.
The neighborhood could only watch and wait as 8-month-old Viviana Poremski cried inside the home, awaiting firefighter assistance.
When emergency crews hit the scene, they rushed to Viviana's room, only to find Polo, the family's dog, covering Viviana with his body.
Paramedics were able to revive the girl, who only had burns on the side of her face, her arm and the side of her body. Polo, however, gave his life to save Viviana.
RELATED: Get the free WPTV app for breaking news, alerts | Follow WPTV on Facebook
Viviana is recovering, but will likely face a lengthy recovery, KTRK reports.
Poremski says she's grateful for having her daughter alive, but devastated that her first dog died in the blaze.
Friends and family have raised $20,000 in a GoFundMe pageto help the family pay for medical bills.
