For many in the La Playa neighborhood of Point Loma, it was a moment to paws and reflect. Cabrillo, a Portuguese water dog, was showered April 21 with praise and adoration for his role in saving property and, quite possibly, human life. Cabrillo became the first canine to be recognized by the San Diego Fire-Rescue Department for his relentless effort to alert his sleeping owner, Sandra Angel, to a raging house fire just doors away. Around 3 a.m. on April 2, the persistent pooch began scratching at Angel’s mattress, tugging at her sleeve and going from window to window of the Rosecrans Street home to rouse his sleeping master. “That’s when I smelled smoke,” said Angel. “I got out of bed and saw a smoky haze and the orange glow of a fire from the house a few doors away.” Set in motion by Cabrillo’s alarms, Angel called 911 while her boyfriend, Charles Williams, began waking neighbors and urging them from their homes. Concerned for the safety of several elderly neighbors, Angel also began phoning other residents to alert them to the fiery danger. “It’s scary when it happens in the middle of the night,” Angel said, “but you get focused pretty fast when you realize you might have just minutes to save a few precious belongings and get to safety.” Officials credit Cabrillo’s alertness and unrelenting effort to wake Angel and Williams for triggering a rapid response by fire crews and other emergency response personnel. Three engines, including one from Station 22 in Point Loma, arrived at the burning home minutes later to contain the flames before they could spread further within the home or to neighboring residences, said Maurice Luque, spokesman for the San Diego Fire-Rescue Department. The fire, which was sparked in an attic because of cracks in the home’s fireplace mortar, caused an estimated $250,000 damage to the structure and contents, said Luque. No injuries were reported. The damage and potential for loss of life was minimized because of Cabrillo’s alertness, said Luque. As a result, fire-rescue officials recognized Cabrillo for his “dogged determination” Tuesday with the first “Honorary Fire Dog” award — complete with a lifesaving commendation and a box of doggie treats. “It’s pretty cool that a dog played this kind of a role in preventing what could have been a much more tragic outcome,” said Luque. “This is a rather unique situation and we wanted to recognize both Cabrillo and the owners for their efforts,” he said. “This is the first time in the six years I have been doing this that someone has told me about a dog being so instrumental in helping to save property and prevent, heaven forbid, human tragedy.” Angel said Portuguese water dogs have a lengthy distinction as a working-class breed. “These dogs are bred to do a job,” Angel said. “That evening, Cabrillo’s job was to wake me and wake Charles and alert us to the danger just outside our window.” Angel, a Realtor with Coldwell Banker in Point Loma, said Cabrillo will turn 2 on June 14. She has had the chocolate-and-cream-colored pooch since he was just 8 1/2 weeks old. Since the night of the fire, people stop her on the street and ask to have their picture taken with Cabrillo, she said, and ask to pet him. Angel said she is considering taking Cabrillo on a possible public relations tour of local schools as an ambassador of heroism.