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Dog Dials 911 To Save Owner
Gone are the days when Lassie had to run several miles to seek help for her master. Today’s technology makes getting help a lot easier. Buddy, a German Shepherd, has been taught by his owner to use a the phone to make emergency calls. When Buddy’s owner, Joe Stalnaker of Scottsdale, AZ, suffered from a seizure, Buddy used his skills to call for help.
Whenever Stalnaker has a seizure, Buddy has been taught to grab the phone and pressed pre-programmed buttons until a 911 operator is on the line. Buddy continues to whine and bark into the phone at the emergency dispatchers, who are able to send help. Stalnaker’s address has been flagged in the Scottsdale’s system with a notification that a trained assistance dog might call whenever the owner was incapacitated. Once the dispatcher determined that it was Buddy on the line, police and emergency crews were sent to the address. The dispatcher stayed on the line and after about three minutes, Buddy was heard barking loudly when the officers arrived. Emergency crews transported Stalnaker to the hospital where he spent the next two days and has since recovered.
Stalnaker’s seizures are the result of a head injury that he suffered about 10 years ago during a military training exercise. He adopted Buddy at the age of 8 weeks from the Michigan-based Paws with a Cause which trains assistance dogs.
“It’s pretty incredible,” says Scottsdale Police Sgt. Mark Clark. “This is the third call that Buddy has made while his master was having a seizure.”
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