Devoted Dog In Critical Condition After Refusing To Leave Her Human's Side

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Carmen is on a ventilator and struggling for her life after trying her very best to save her human from a house fire on Thursday.

The entire city of Cincinnati, Ohio, is pulling for the 9-year-old boxer, who lay on top of her dad, 33-year-old Ben Ledford, after a fire broke out in their home in the nearby suburb of Goshen Township.

(Facebook/CincinnatiCares)

Even when first responders arrived at the scene of the fire, Carmen refused to leave Ledford. She was found trying to shield his face from the blaze, local news outlet WCPO reported.

Ledford passed away at an area hospital soon after he was removed from the fire, but his devoted Carmen is sedated and currently hooked up to a ventilator at Cincinnati Care Center, an animal hospital, where a team of vets are working to save her. As of Monday afternoon, her vitals are stable.

Ben Ledford and Carmen (Facebook)

Dr. Daniel Carey, an emergency vet at Cincinnati Care, told WCPO that Carmen is lucky that the only organ damage she sustained from the fire was to her lungs, and that, considering what she went through, she's "doing as well as can be expected."

Even as they mourn, Ledford's human family and friends are doing everything they can to help save Carmen. They've started a fundraising page to help cover Carmen's medical bills, where they also offered an emotional thank you to everyone who has donated:

"As we deal with the loss of Carmen's owner, our brother, Ben, it is comforting to know that Carmen has been getting the best care possible. As we receive them, we will continue to provide updates on our sweet, sweet girl."

The veterinarians hope that Carmen will be able to breathe on her own soon, but she's not in the clear yet. Cincinnati Cares has been posting updates about Carmen on their Facebook page, and they're urging everyone to "keep Carmen and her entire human family in your thoughts and prayers."