Unlikely Canine Hero of the Day: Choking Dog Saves His Own Life By Dialing Police Hotline

"We still don't know how he managed it. He's not usually very smart."

When police dispatchers in England heard the desperate heavy breathing from someone who had called 999 (the British equivalent of our 911), they sent four cops to the West Yorkshire home stat to check on what seemed to be a dire emergency.

The police were about to break down the door when a neighbor ran up and let them in with the key the family had given him. While the officers sprinted through the house searching the rooms for someone who had collapsed or been injured, the neighbor ran into the living room to find the family's enormous Bassett hound, George, choking because the phone wire had a death grip on his neck. He ripped the phone apart to free the "absolutely terrified" dog.

Photo via The Sun. See more of their amazing photos over here.

"Incredibly you could see where his paw print was on the phone to ring 999 — he literally saved his own life," neighbor Paul Walker said in an article in the Sun.

"When the police came into the room and realized what had happened they burst out laughing," he said. George recovered quickly and seemed no worse the wear, fortunately.

What's especially amazing about this story is that the phone had an old-fashioned dial. So it wasn't as if he just got lucky and pressed "9" three times in his panic. He had to really dial with his large paws.

Owner Lydia Brown says her beloved Bassett would probably have died if he hadn't dialed 999. But what might seem like a Lassie or Rin Tin Tin feat of cleverness and cunning was probably just luck, she thinks.

"We still don't know how he managed it. He's not usually very smart," she says. "He's really dopey and just likes to chew socks."

Whatever the case - luck, miracle, or stunning know-how - it's a pretty awesome story. We are sooo happy Brown did not have to come home to what could have been a very bad, sad scene. Maybe it's time for a cordless phone with a key pad.  (I just hope George figures out how to use it if he ever needs help again.)

Source: The Sun

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