Woman who was 'pronounced dead' for short period explains how dog saved her life
Susan Denker says she would have died if it wasn't for her pooch Lily
A woman who says she was 'pronounced dead' went on to be saved by her dog's heroic actions.
While pets are a brilliant thing to have as a form of comfort, our four-legged friends can be vital in someone's time of need — in particular if you live alone.
One person who would agree is Vaughn Marshall who lives in Melbourne, Australia, with his pooch Luna.
Last year, Marshall took a funny turn and found himself unable to breathe or move. Fortunately Luna, a Jack Russell, sprang into action and ran outside their home to get someone's attention.
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Someone saw her running around on her own and brought her back to the house and discovered Marshall in a bad way. They then rushed to his aid, and after he was taken to hospital, he was told that he'd had a pulmonary embolism. Marshall now credits Luna for saving his life.
And Susan Denker from Wyoming, US, faced a similar situation in July when she suffered a heart attack in her home.
Denker's friend Karen had come to see her on the fateful day but, despite her ringing multiple times, Denker failed to come to the door.
Luckily, Lily had heard Karen at the door and started barking at her from through the blinds.
Feeling that Lily was trying to alert her to something, Karen went round the back of the house and looked through the window to see Karen lying unconscious. She then rushed to call the emergency services.
When Denker got the urgent medical attention she needed, it was revealed that she had suffered a serious heart attack.
Speaking about the day in question, Denker recalled to Cowboy State Daily: "Lily kept barking at [Karen] and then running to the bedroom, and then back to the window and barking at her and again running to the bedroom. She did that four or five times until Karen figured out, 'She’s trying to tell me something'.
"If it hadn't been for Lily alerting Karen, and Karen being wise enough to listen to a dog, I would not be talking to you now, because they did pronounce me dead at one point."
Denker was away from her pet for two months while she recovered, and their reunion sounded like something that would make even the hardiest of people shed a tear.
"They took her out of the crate, and she saw me and just went hysterical," Denker said of the moment she saw Lily again.
"They put her up on the counter. She wrapped her legs around my neck. She tried to crawl inside my shirt. She licked absolutely every centimeter of my face, my lips, nose, eyes, she gave me a full wash."
Denker went on: "I was holding on to her as tight as I could, and she was holding on to me too."
If you needed an excuse to get a dog, this is it!
Niamh Shackleton