A dog has been hailed as a hero for helping to save the life of a man who slipped in the snow and broke his neck.
The man, only known as Bob, went outside his Michigan home to get a log for the fire on New Year’s Eve when he slipped and broke his neck.
Wearing just his long johns, slippers, and a shirt, he lay paralysed in the snow and unable to move before his Golden Retriever, Kelsey, came to his assistance.
“I was screaming for help but my nearest neighbour is about a quarter mile away and it was 10:30 pm, but my Kelsey came,” he explained.
“By morning my voice was gone and I couldn’t yell for help, but Kelsey didn’t stop barking.”
Bob’s canine companion kept him warm by laying on top of him and licking his face and hands to keep him awake.
“She kept barking for help but never left my side,” he added. “She kept me warm and alert. I knew I had to persevere through this and that it was my choice to stay alive.”
He spent 19 hours in the freezing cold outside, but when he finally lost consciousness his dog kept barking.
“She was letting out this screeching howl that alerted my neighbour. He found me at 6:30pm on New Year’s Day.
“I was surprised to find out that I didn’t have any frost bite. I am sure it was because of Kelsey’s determination to keep me warm and safe.”
Doctor Chaim Colen, a neurosurgeon at McLaren Northern Michigan, said he was surprised by the speediness of his recovery: “After the surgery, miraculously, he started to move his extremities with greater strength.”
Bob said he would be “eternally grateful” to the doctor, and, of course, Kelsey: “I am so thankful for my two heroes.
“Kelsey kept me warm, alert, and never stopped barking for help. Dr Colen saved my life and ability to move. They are truly heroes.”
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