- SEATTLE (CNN) -- When Percy came to the rescue, the 153-pound St. Bernard
was carrying a portable telephone, not a keg of brandy. As a result,
Melanie Horne of Seattle credits her dog with saving her life.
-
- When Horne, 38, had a diabetic seizure
at home last month, she told Percy to bring her the phone. Once he fetched
it, Horne dialed 911.
-
- Medics and firefighters found her unresponsive
on the couch where the 3 1/2-year-old dog had dragged her. When Horne
recovered, she explained that Percy knocked the portable phone from its
wall cradle and brought it to her.
-
- "They couldn't believe it,"
she said.
-
- Horne bought the dog from a breeder in
1995. Plagued by frequent falls while recovering from kidney and pancreas
transplant surgery, she decided to train the dog herself rather than
buy an expensive trained adult dog.
-
- She eventually set up a nonprofit organization,
Training Aide Dog Advocacy, to teach others how to train their own service
dogs.
-
- Percy readily learned to bring medication,
get beverages from the refrigerator and drag her upright. And that's
not all Percy does.
-
- "He takes the laundry to the laundry
basket," adds Horne. "In the garden, he brings me tools. He
makes it possible for me to have a sense of independence."
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