Dog saves owner’s life during devastating fire in Christchurch

• Peter Mcmeekan escaped a house fire in Bishopdale after his dog, Moose, alerted him.
• The fire, intensified by petrol and gas, destroyed Mcmeekan’s garage and tools, making his home unliveable.
• A Givealittle page has been set up to help Mcmeekan, who is recovering from a traumatic brain injury.

A Christchurch man has managed to escape death after his dog, Moose, woke him during a fire.

Emergency services, including five fire crews, responded to a blaze in the two-storey home in the Christchurch suburb of Bishopdale on February 25.

Peter Mcmeekan told the Herald he had been sleeping in his bedroom when Moose started barking.

“It was different to how she usually barks. Usually she runs downstairs but she just stayed inside my bedroom, looking at the hallway barking.”

Peter Mckeenan and his dog, Moose, who saved him from a devastating fire.

The 43-year-old initially thought Moose was alerting him to a burglar before his neighbour called.

“He said, ‘There’s a fire, get out now.‘”.

Mcmeekan ran outside to see his childhood home on fire and smoke billowing from the garage.

The garage, built into the home, sat directly beneath his bedroom.

“If Moose hadn’t woken me up, we wouldn’t be having this conversation right now,” he said.

Armed with two garden hoses, Mcmeekan started battling the blaze himself, until he realised his dogs were still trapped in the backyard.

“I broke a hole in the fence and managed to get my dogs out.”

Peter Mcmeekan had been asleep on February 25 when his dog, Moose woke him up, alerting him to a fire.

The garage contained petrol containers, camping gear with gas bottles, and spray paints, all of which exploded, intensifying the fire.

“I also realised the boat, which I knew had petrol in it, was close to the garage door, so I tried to pull it down the driveway,” he said.

“Things were really starting to go boom... by that point, the smoke was just too much so I couldn’t do anything.”

Moose the Great Dane saved her owner from a house fire on February 25, 2025.

The house was in flames when firefighters arrived, about 9.30am.

Fortunately, they managed to keep the blaze mostly isolated to the garage area.

The rest of the house has been deemed unliveable until the proper repairs are made, he said.

It’s not Mcmeekan’s first hardship. In 2018, he was involved in a serious car accident.

He now lives with a traumatic brain injury, which has led to frequent migraines and a speech impediment. He also struggles to walk, due to leg damage sustained in the crash.

Peter Mcmeekan on the job with his dog, Moose.

A builder by trade, Mcmeekan ran his own building business, as well as project management.

“I couldn’t not turn up to work, so I tried to continue for my staff and everything but the wheels ended up falling off. My injury was much worse than I thought.”

For six years, he has been unable to work at full capacity due to his head injury. This year, he had been working through rehabilitation to get back on his feet.

The tools that he needed to start his business again, were stored in the garage and destroyed by the fire.

“I’ve lost everything I’ve worked my whole life to build up, everything of value was in my garage and workshop... hundreds of thousands of dollars worth of stuff,” he said.

Mcmeekan has been unable to walk properly since the car accident. This means he walks his dogs using an electric scooter, which was also lost.

“I just want to be able to walk my dogs again.”

His partner, Kerry, said she was “incredibly grateful” to Moose.

“It’s devastating the things that have been lost, but Peter didn’t suffer any further physical injuries, which I am so grateful for.”

Kerry said Mcmeekan was not used to asking for help, and always “rallies himself”.

“He’s got tenacity, he just gets on with it... Pete’s been here pretty much every day cleaning up.”

A Givealittle page has since been set up by Mcmeekan’s mother, Carole.

Kerry said as much as money is a huge help, an extra pair of hands would be just as good.

“If there are any tradies out there ... to be honest just anything is appreciated.”

Mcmeekan said despite his injuries, he would work to repair his childhood home.

“I know I can get this house back to its glory.”

Katie Oliver is a Christchurch-based multimedia journalist and breaking news reporter.