Bittersweet moment as man is reunited with lost dog who disappeared during the fire that killed his sister and niece

Three days after a Pennsylvania man lost both his sister and niece to a morning blaze he only just escaped himself he was emotionally reunited with the one other victim who managed to escape with him: his sister's dog.



With a hurried bounce in his step, perhaps the first since the house fire, William Stone, Jr arrived at the Lancaster County SPCA on Thursday and immediately spotted the small white dog cuddled up on the floor of a cage.

'That's her! That's her!' he said while making his way to the shy dog named Bella that like Mr Stone just barely survived, Fox43 reports.



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Survivors: William Stone, Jr and this scared dog named Bella were the sole survivors of a deadly house fire on Monday that took the lives of two others

Tragedy: Mr Stone and Bella managed to escape the house fire that took the lives of his sister, Pauline Stone, 39, and 6-year-old Leilani Roman, a child the Stones loved and considered family

'She was going to go back in but I called her and she followed me back out,' he said while scooping up and squeezing the dog close to his side.



'Then we couldn't find her, but I had to find her,' he said, his voice cracking.

The house fire early Monday morning took the lives of both Pauline Stone, 39, and 6-year-old Leilani Roman, a child the Stones say they were babysitting but considered family.



The pair had become trapped in their second-story bedroom with firefighters unable to reach them in time.



Three of those first responders were injured, one of which sustained second-degree burns and was listed in critical condition.



Scene: Bella became lost in the commotion of the fire and it wasn't until Thursday that she was caught on a street and taken to a local shelter

Found: Officer Juanita Martinez-Bender, left, found the dog on the streets and brought her to Susan Martin, founder of the Lancaster County SPCA, right, who said she immediately knew who she belongs to



In all of the commotion, the little white dog became lost.



Every day since Mr Stone and other family members had been calling the local SPCA shelter asking if they had seen the dog.



Mr Stone even sent them a picture of the white dog on his cell phone.



Because of that, when police officer Juanita Martinez-Bender picked up the dog while responding to a call of a stray and dropped her off at the shelter, Susan Martin, Lancaster County SPCA's founder, says didn't even need to see the dog to know it was her.



'The first thing I said before it even got out of the car, "I know the dog, that's the dog from the fire!"' she exclaimed.

Sad eyes: Both man and dog reflected signs of stress and sadness in their eyes but with Mr Stone, some relief knowing he's retained a part of his sister

Lifting the small dog up in his arms, Mr Stone cuddled the animal, both man and animal reflecting frightened and sad eyes at one another.



'She knows she lost her mommy,' he says while holding her, his voice trembling.



'It just brings joy to you knowing that you gave back something that was lost and yeah so, makes you feel good,' Officer Martinez-Bender said while wiping a tear from her own eye.



'I lost my niece, she's an angel, I lost my sister,' he paused long before continuing, '’least I got something that belongs to her.'

The cause of the fire is still being investigated.



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