Hero dog saved owner’s life after he collapsed on walk in ‘Lassie-style’ rescue

Viv is a three-year-old chocolate-coloured cockerpoo who looks after Stephen Dack (Pictures: Caters News Agency)

A heroic dog may have saved her owner’s life when she pulled off an incredible ‘Lassie-style’ rescue.

Stephen Dack, 60, collapsed after sitting down on a park bench because he felt ill while he was walking his hearing dog Viv, in Darlington.

Despite not being trained to get help, Viv ran off and managed to find one of Stephen’s neighbours, Ellie.

She said: ‘I was walking home from work when I saw Viv running around anxiously by herself. She came up to me, barking, and when I followed her, she led me to where Stephen lay in the lane.

‘I couldn’t move him, so I ran and got help from another neighbour, and when we came back, Viv was sitting by Stephen’s feet. We rang an ambulance, and I found a phone number on Viv’s collar and called his wife.’

When Stephen regained consciousness, he awoke to find himself surrounded by paramedics and his wife.

He was rushed to hospital and treated by medics there but he was soon able to go home with just a few cuts and bruises.

Stephen said Viv has ‘given him his life back’ (Picture: Caters News Agency)

Viv is trained to help Stephen with his hearing difficulties (Picture: Caters News Agency)

Stephen said: ‘In her role as a hearing dog, she isn’t trained to get help if I collapse. She could just as easily have run home or run off, but she stayed with me and got help, which just goes to show the close bond between us.

‘She made me very proud that day and, as you can imagine, had a few extra treats when I got home.’

Viv, a three-year-old chocolate-coloured cockerpoo, found her beloved owner last year, through Hearing Dogs for Deaf People.

Stephen had been struggling with deteriorating hearing since the age of 18, eventually having to give up work at 57 – after it ‘got so bad’ he could not hear what his colleagues were saying to him.

He said: ‘I became very low after leaving work and avoided speaking to people at all because I couldn’t hold a conversation with them.

‘After a while, I stopped going out completely, and my wife wouldn’t go out either because she didn’t want to leave me on my own. She basically became my carer.’

The couple got a fright after one incident where Stephen did not hear the fire alarm going off in his house.

Stephen said Viv has made things better for his wife as well (Picture: Caters News Agency)

Stephen said: ‘That was a wake-up call for us both. My wife got on to the internet and started researching devices for warning deaf people about alarms, and then she saw an advert for Hearing Dogs.

‘We applied and shortly afterwards I was matched with Viv. Quite simply, she’s given me my life back.

‘I know I can rely on her to tell me if someone’s at the door, or if an alarm goes off, but just as importantly, she gets me outdoors.

‘I meet other dog walkers, and they know she is a hearing dog so they speak clearly and we can have a conversation.

‘One of the best things though is that my wife has got her life back too. She can go shopping or for a coffee with friends without having to worry about me.’

Hearing Dogs for Deaf People is urgently seeking volunteer puppy trainers in the Darlington region.

Anyone interested in applying can find more details on the charity’s website.

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The smart dog ran off to fetch a neighbour who then called an ambulance.