Dog on Walk When She Freezes in Middle of Road, Leads Owner to 89-Yr-Old Neighbor Lying on Ground
Dogs are keen creatures. Their hearing and sense of smell are far stronger than ours, and they sense a lot of things that we cannot.
People tend to feel safer with dogs around for that reason. They’ll know if someone’s breaking in or walking nearby before you do.
But they can protect people besides their owners, too. That’s why they’ve been used in search and rescue and have starred in shows like “Lassie.”
Rob Jerry had his own Lassie moment in 2013 with his Great Dane, Sadie. She was off-leash, walking around, when he noticed her stop at the end of the driveway.
He called her, but she didn’t move. That was odd behavior for her, and Jerry wondered what had caught her attention.
He listened, and thought he heard a deer grunting — but as he listened more carefully, he realized the sound was human.
It was a man yelling for help. Jerry followed the noise to find his 89-year-old neighbor, Albert Larson, lying on his driveway, unable to move.
Larson later recounted that Jerry had asked him, “What’s up?” to which he responded, “I wish I was up.”
Apparently, Larson had been reaching for the newspaper at the end of his driveway when he slipped and fell, bruising his body in multiple areas and breaking his hip.
He knew that the worst thing to do would be to stop moving, so he called for help and crawled his way back up his driveway using his shoulder.
After he’d been out there for at least an hour, the cold began to get to him. His clothes were freezing to the ground, and no one had heard him yet.
Because of Sadie’s excellent hearing and seeming disobedience, Larson was able to be rescued and receive medical attention. “She saved him,” Jerry said.
His wife, 90, is also thankful for Sadie, and the couple was able to celebrate their 69th wedding anniversary.
Larson seemed in good spirits in rehab, and his wife is certainly thrilled to have him around still. Hopefully the two have more healthy years ahead of them.
As for Sadie, she may not know just how helpful she was, but plenty of people now think of her as a hero.
Submit your story here, and subscribe to our best uplifting stories here.
Truth and Accuracy
We are committed to truth and accuracy in all of our journalism. Read our editorial standards.
