When a man’s deep slumber is interrupted by his wife’s screams, he awakens to find his mischievous puppy’s bizarre act of destruction may have saved his life.
64-year-old David Lindsay of Cambridge, United Kingdom, discovered that his mischievous puppy may have saved his life. The retired construction worker had fallen into a deep slumber one night, only to be jolted awake by his wife’s terrified scream. To his shock and horror, David’s right foot was soaked in blood, his big toe chewed down to the bone by his seven-month-old bulldog puppy, Harley.
When David’s wife first found the gruesome scene, she saw Harley gnawing on David’s foot, leaving a sight that would haunt the couple for some time. The injured man was promptly taken to the emergency room, where medical professionals made a startling revelation: Harley’s act of destruction had potentially saved David’s life. Unbeknownst to him, David had lost feeling in his feet while he slept, and blood flow to his lower extremities had ceased.
Doctors informed David that two of his leg arteries were blocked, depriving the lower half of his body of much-needed oxygenated blood. Without Harley’s intervention, David could have suffered a heart attack, stroke, or even a pulmonary embolism. In an ironic turn of events, the naughty little bulldog had inadvertently rescued his owner.
Despite some arguing that Harley should be rehomed due to his harmful behavior, David chose to keep the dog that saved his life. If Harley hadn’t chewed his big toe down to the bone, David might have faced a life-threatening medical emergency. As a father to five daughters and grandfather to eleven grandchildren, David’s family would have been devastated by his untimely death.
Recalling the harrowing experience, David said, “I was asleep on the couch when my wife walked in and shouted, ‘Dave, the puppy’s chewing your toe!’ My puppy had near enough chewed my big toe off! It chewed down to the bone and cracked it. But because of all this, I discovered that my foot is completely numb; I can’t feel anything.”
Diabetes has made David’s life challenging, and his wife understood the urgency of treating his injured toe. After bandaging the wound, she drove him to the hospital, where he informed the medical staff of his lack of sensation in his foot. Subsequent CT scans revealed the blocked arteries that put him at risk.
If blood flow had not been restored, David could have faced not only premature death but also the possibility of leg amputation. In a strange and heartwarming turn of events, Harley’s misbehavior ultimately saved David’s life. The adorable, albeit naughty, bulldog puppy proved to be an unlikely hero.
Source: AWM
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