Trace Adkins’ Daughter Rewarded for Furry Fire Rescue

Trace Adkins' 9-year-old daughter has received the animal rights organization PETA's Compassionate Action Award, for her heroic rescue of two puppies from the fire that destroyed the family's home. On June 4, Brianna Adkins and her sisters MacKenzie (13) and Trinity (6) were in their Brentwood, Tenn. home with their nanny, when a faulty power strip beneath her father's work bench sparked a blaze.

Though they all escaped the fire safely, Brianna could not be deterred from rushing back into the burning home to save the young dogs trapped inside. "A neighbor tried to stop her, but she wouldn't be stopped." Trace said of his daughter's brave act. "I told her, 'I'm proud of you. I'm proud of you for the way you saved those puppies.'"

Accompanied by her neighbor, Brianna was able to save her furry family members. As a token of appreciation, PETA will award Brianna with a framed certificate and vegan chocolates. "Thanks to the heroic actions of Brianna Adkins, her family's beloved dogs survived the fire and are alive and well," PETA Executive Vice President Tracy Reiman said in a statement. "Her heroism is a compelling reminder that all members of the family --including dogs, cats, and other animals -- deserve help in an emergency."

At the time of the fire, Trace was headed to Alaska for a few days of fishing prior to two concerts. His wife Rhonda, a former publicist for Arista Records, contacted the singer to make him aware of the situation. "I told her after the plane refueled I would head back and she told me just to stay there, that there was nothing I could do in Nashville," Trace recalled backstage at CMA Music Festival. "I told her to just put on her publicists' hat a minute and think about that headline: 'Trace Adkins' House Burns, His Family Is Homeless and He Goes Fishing in Alaska.' [laughs] So I came home and she was right, there was nothing I could do but hug them."