Calls were made to the Danville SPCA to see if anyone found their dog and brought him there, and "the neighbors are keeping an eye out," she said.

Both the cat and dog woke them up, alerting them to the fire.

"If we find our dog still alive, he will be treated like a king," she said.

Linda last saw him around her feet as they were leaving the house through the back door. The blaze started in a space heater in a first-floor bathroom. The McCormicks were sleeping on futons in the first-floor living room at the time.

"We're thankful we got out alive," said Robert, who helped Linda get out of the house.

In the rush, the couple forgot Linda's cane, but once again the generous community came to her aid.

"Thank goodness someone had a cane and donated it to me," Linda said.

While helping his wife to safety, Robert burned his face, hand and shoulder. He didn't go to the hospital for treatment.

Besides their pets, Linda misses her clown and teddy bear collections.

"I had dishes with bears on them," Linda said. "My mother who recently retired and downsized sent me her blue china dishes that I always wanted."

They were also lost in the blaze.

Linda, 51, contracted rheumatic fever along with asthma and bronchitis when she was a young girl. Since living in Danville, she has undergone three surgeries related to hernias.

"Robert's mom is from here," she said. "He likes it up here."

The couple, married 18 years, have lived in Danville since 1995.

The Danville Area Red Cross helped them out with lodging at the hotel and The Good Samaritan Mission provided them with clothing. Once they find a place to live, other agencies may be able to help them with their needs.