A naughty, barking dog saved his owner’s life by alerting neighbours when he suffered a serious medical episode and collapsed.
Vaughn Marshall had just returned home to Frankston, on the outskirts of Melbourne, after walking his seven-month-old Jack Russell puppy, Luna, when he collapsed on the driveway.
Mr. Marshall managed to get up and walk a few more steps before collapsing again.
He recalled Luna sniffing him as he lay on the concrete before running off.
The puppy, who reacted quickly, ran to a neighbor’s house at the end of the street and barked until he got their attention.
She led the neighbour back to Mr Marshall, who had managed to call triple zero before his condition rapidly deteriorated.
He was rushed to Frankston Hospital, where doctors found a blood clot between his heart and lung.
Without intervention, the clot would have caused cardiac arrest and Marshall may not be alive today.
Melbourne dad Vaughn Marshall credited his seven-month-old Jack Russell Luna (both pictured) with saving his life after he collapsed during a medical episode.
Mr Marshall felt “incredibly scared” and could not breathe during his medical episode.
“I felt dizzy… I remember it was a horrible feeling not being able to breathe,” he told Seven News.
The father had low oxygen levels and blood pressure and was “probably minutes away” from going into cardiac arrest.
“Time is of the essence in these situations… the outcome could have been very different if Luna hadn’t been there,” said Dr Craig Johnston, an intensive care consultant at Frankston Hospital.
Luna ran to a neighbor’s house and barked until she gained their attention and brought them back to her owner before she went into cardiac arrest.
Mr Marshall was discharged from the hospital five days later and was unable to return home to cuddle his heroic pup.
“If she wasn’t my best friend like she is now, we would love her so much,” she said.
‘I’m incredibly lucky and I’m incredibly grateful.
“Without her, I wouldn’t be here.”