Dog Dials 911, Barks for Help

German Shepherd trained to call
By Peter Fearon,  Newser Staff
Posted Sep 15, 2008 5:24 AM CDT
Dog Dials 911, Barks for Help
Joe Stalnaker with his German shepherd, Buddy. Police say Buddy saved Stalnaker's life by dialing 911 when he began having a seizure.    (AP Photo/Scottsdale Police Department)

A German shepherd in Arizona dialed 911 and summoned help for his owner who had suffered a seizure, AP reports. Buddy barked and whimpered on the line until the 911 dispatcher sent help. The dog is trained by Paws with a Cause—which provides assistance animals to the ill and disabled—to press a pre-programmed phone button to call 911 when his owner is in trouble. 

It's the third time Buddy has called 911 to save his owner, who suffers from seizures that began with a head injury during a military training exercise. "It's pretty incredible," said a Scottsdale police sergeant. "Even veteran dispatchers haven't heard of anything like this."
(More Paws with a Cause stories.)

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