A US family is crediting their pet Saint Bernard for saving their lives from a potential catastrophe.

Doree the Saint Bernard picked up the scent of gas and tried it’s best to alert the family of the smell.

“Probably about 2 o’clock in the morning Doree started whining, kind of pacing around the bed,” homeowner Jack Damrill said.

Doree the Saint Bernard saves family's lives after smelling gas leak.

The family’s cats also picked up the smell and started meowing very loud.

“The cats were meowing at the same time… Looking back on it, I remember the cats meowing very loud,” Mr Damrill said.

Doree refused to let her owners go back to sleep.

That’s Mr Damrill noticed the smell of gas. Upon investigating, he found the burner of the stove had been left on, filling the home with gas.

Mr Damrill then called 911 and firefighters aired out his house.

Firefighters airing out the Damrill house after a gas leak was detected by the family dog.

“The firefighters were talking and the worst-case scenario is your house could have been ended up in match boxes across the street. Which means, it would have blown up,” he said.

The family believes their faithful pets saved their lives and Doree deserves most of the credit.

The hero pooch is getting a reward: steak dinner.

“I think she deserved a steak tonight, no doubt about it," Mr Damrill said.

Doree with its owner Jack Damrill.