Cathy ``Cat'' Margetts, 27, initially escaped the blaze but went back in to save the animals.
Firefighters found her unconscious in a bedroom near the front of the house next to her best buddy, a German shepherd named Adami.
Despite resuscitation efforts by paramedics, Margetts was pronounced dead at Foothills Hospital.
``She was such a loving person with her animals,'' said neighbour Jonathan Stolarchuk. ``She loved her animals more than anyone can ever say.''
Six dogs and two cats died in the fire, which is still under investigation by the arson squad.
While investigators don't believe the fire was suspicious, they have yet to determine its cause.
``Fire, in itself, is traumatic, but whenever you have a loss of life _ human or animal _ it's that much more traumatic,'' said Det. Rod McRae. Four dogs survived the blaze.
Several neighbours said it was common to see Margetts walking to the park with up to a dozen dogs in tow when the weather was nice, or loading them in her car in poor weather.
``She was strong, clever and brilliant,'' said her former boyfriend, Ted Knudtson.
``She was the strongest woman I ever met and had a strength of character and beliefs. She'd take on the whole world for something she believed in.''
