STOUGHTON -- Leo, a beloved 7-year-old Australian Shephard, is being remembered by his family as fiercely loyal after he was killed in a Stoughton house fire a few days after Christmas.

On the morning of Dec. 29, Stoughton residents Katelyn Cornelissen, Jordan White and their 16-month-old daughter Ryleigh White said goodbye to their dogs, Koda and Leo, for a quick trip to Starbucks. After just 15 minutes, the family returned to find their home on West Vanston Road engulfed in smoke.

Despite firefighters' best efforts to rescue both dogs, only Koda would make it out of the house alive.

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Cornelissen and White got Koda in 2017. Koda didn't fare well on his own and 45 days later, they decided to get Leo to keep him company. From the moment they took him home, Leo was Koda's best friend, Cornelissen said.

"He was the perfect addition to our family. There are really no words to describe how good of a dog he was," Cornelissen said.

According to the family, Leo was a people person. But he especially loved his human sibling Ryleigh.

"Leo was just infatuated with Ryleigh. He always had his head on my belly when I was pregnant," Cornelissen said. "He was our protector and we're going to miss him every day."

When firefighters entered the burning home to rescue Leo, they told the family they found him in Ryleigh's playpen, Cornelissen said.

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Despite being devastated by the loss of their beloved pet and home, Cornelissen and White said they are grateful for the support of their family, friends and community.

"We are overwhelmed by the support, generosity, love and kindness that we've seen from our neighbors and community. We're absolutely blown away," Cornelissen said.

In addition to losing their beloved pet, Cornelissen and White's home, which had been in Cornelissen's family for generations, was destroyed in the fire.

The couple's family created a GoFundMe to help them get back on their feet financially. The fund has raised $27,280 as of Jan. 15.

"A tremendously huge thank you to everyone for all your support, well wishes, donations and everything you all have done and continue to do," the organizer wrote. "They can still use all the financial help they can get so please continue to share and consider donating."