Concerned neighbours phoned the police after fearing nine-year-old boy had been left home alone with only a Rottweiler for company at a house in Preston, Lancashire.
The worried residents made the call after realising the child was on his own in the terraced property as the dog roamed downstairs.
The Lancashire Evening Post reports that the child was 'rescued' from the house in a 'frightened' state, and describe him as being 'stuck in an upstairs bedroom'.
A fireman used a ladder to eventually get him to safety.
A spokesman from Lancashire police said that a 73-year-old woman and a 39-year-old man had been arrested on suspicion of child neglect following the events at the house.
The child is now in the care of relatives, and was not injured during the incident.