Ruby is a trained therapy dog, but doesn’t have rescue training — it was just her heroic instinct

Ruby the pit bull is a hero and it’s all-natural instinct, say her owners.

The 3-year-old trained therapy dog doesn’t bark very often, but she had a very important message to communicate on the night of Jan. 19.

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According to WIVB.com, Ruby’s owners Ronene Ando and Christopher Hall had recently set up a propane heater in their Lake View, New York, home. However, this didn’t immediately come to mind when their typically well-trained pup proceeded to bark and whine incessantly that Thursday night.

“Typically she only barks for one reason, and that’s if someone is at the door,” Ando told WIVB.

Ruby’s vocal signaling went on for close to an hour and a half before her humans realized they better go check out why. Sure enough, Ando went downstairs and smelled the propane gas coming from the garage. Luckily, their very good girl had picked up the scent and was trying to get their attention and warn them. She succeeded before carbon monoxide poisoning could set in.

Image zoom Ronene Ando

“Thanks to Ruby, everyone’s okay. [Pit bulls are] very protective of their owners,” Ando told Fox News.

RELATED: Why Everything Negative You Think About Pit Bulls Is Wrong

Ruby, who was trained through Paws for Love with the SPCA, does not have rescue training. Her owners believe her heroic behavior was all doggie intuition. Ando is a pit bull advocate and wants her community to know that these dogs get a bad rap.

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“They are very protective,” she tells WIVB. “They are really amazing dogs if they are trained well and kept active.”

Image zoom Ronene Ando

When asked how they rewarded Ruby for her bravery, Ando tells PEOPLE, “She had a venison roast, and I took her to McDonald’s for an ice cream cone.”