A mischievous and barking dog saved her owner’s life by alerting neighbors when he developed a serious medical condition and fainted.
Vaughn Marshall had just returned home from walking his seven-month-old Jack Russell puppy, Luna, in Frankston, on the outskirts of Melbourne, when he collapsed in the driveway.
Mr. Marshall managed to get back up and walk a few more steps before collapsing again
He remembers Luna sniffing him as he lay on the concrete, then running away.
The quick-thinking pup ran to the neighbor’s house at the end of the street and barked until she got their attention.
She led the neighbor back to Mr. Marshall, who had managed to call 0 before his condition rapidly deteriorated.
He was rushed to Frankston Hospital, where doctors discovered a blood clot between his heart and lungs.
Without intervention, the clot would have led to cardiac arrest and Mr. Marshall may not be alive today.
Melbourne dad Vaughn Marshall has praised his seven-month-old Jack Russell Luna (both pictured) for saving his life after he collapsed during a medical incident
Mr Marshall felt ‘incredibly scared’ and could not breathe during his medical episode.
“I felt dizzy… I remember it was such a horrible feeling not being able to breathe,” he told Seven News.
The father had low oxygen levels and low blood pressure and was “likely within minutes” of 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, a critical care specialist at Frankston Hospital.
Luna ran to the neighbor’s house and barked until she got their attention and led them back to her owner before he went into cardiac arrest
Five days later, Mr. Marshall was released from the hospital and was unable to go home to spoil his heroic puppy.
“If she wasn’t my best friend, which she is now, we love her very much,” he said.
‘I’ve just been incredibly lucky and incredibly grateful.
‘I wouldn’t be here without her.’