A hearing dog has been praised for his remarkable quick thinking after alerting passers-by to help his deaf owner following a fall on icy ground in Wolverhampton.
Sue Davis, 67, who is profoundly deaf, slipped on black ice while out walking with Arlo, her black cocker spaniel, leaving her unable to stand.
The trained assistance dog immediately sprang into action, barking and howling to summon help for his stricken owner.
“If it hadn’t been for Arlo, I don’t know what I’d have done there was no one else around, so I would’ve had to crawl to get help,” Ms Davis said.
Arlo positioned himself protectively over Ms Davis’s body as she lay injured on the ground, remaining there until someone approached.
His persistent cries eventually reached a woman walking through an alleyway nearby, who rushed over to offer assistance.
However, she was unable to lift Ms Davis on her own, and the pair had to wait until a man arrived shortly afterwards to help get the pensioner back on her feet.
Ms Davis recalled the moment she fell: “We were only about two minutes from my house when I put my left foot out and that was it – I went down with a bang.”
Ms Davis, who lost her hearing during her early forties, has found living independently to be difficult.
She takes blood-thinning medication following a previous episode of heart failure, which meant the fall resulted in significant bruising to her body.
Following the incident, she was helped back to her home, located just a short distance from where she had fallen.
Her life changed considerably for the better when the charity Hearing Dogs for Deaf People matched her with Arlo four years ago in 2021.
Ms Davis said Arlo is her ‘comfort blanket’
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HEARING DOGS FOR DEAF PEOPLE
The organisation trains dogs to alert their deaf owners to important sounds and provide companionship.
Ms Davis described Arlo as her “comfort blanket,” expressing complete confidence in his protective presence.
“I know I’m safe with him,” the pensioner said.
She spoke warmly about the profound impact the cocker spaniel has had on her daily existence since they were brought together.
“Having Arlo is the best thing that’s ever happened to me, he loves me unconditionally, and I love him unconditionally,” Ms Davis added.
The bond between the pair has transformed what had previously been a challenging period of solitary living for the Wolverhampton resident.
“I couldn’t ask for a better friend,” she said.