A Stockton, California woman is crediting her pet pit bull with saving the life of her infant child after their house caught on fire.

Latana Chai told KCRA in Sacramento that her dog, Sasha, was in the backyard when she started behaving strangely.

“I heard like a loud bang and I was like ‘What's going on?’ And I heard Sasha crying, and she kept jumping at the door,” Chai said. “As soon as I got to the door she runs in, and starts barking.”

When she opened the door she saw what was driving Sasha mad. Flames rising from the neighbor’s house were spreading to hers.

“If she wasn't barking or really going at the door like that I probably wouldn't have known nothing,” Chai said.

She immediately ran inside and raced toward the back room where her daughter Masailah was sleeping. But Sasha had already beaten her there.

“I ran into the room and I see Sasha she has my baby like by the diaper, just dragging her off the bed trying to get her to safety,” she said.

Chai said Sasha’s maternal instincts don’t come as a surprise.

Sasha and Chai’s same-aged daughter came into the world together and have largely been inseparable since. Chai said Sasha sleeps in Masailah’s bed and the two often take baths together.

“She's always been a part of the family, now she just gets steak,” Chai said.