Frantic Dog Runs Up to Stranger—What He Was Desperately Trying to Say Saved Two Lives
What would you do if a strange dog walked up to you outside and tried to get you to follow it?
Gary Thynes of Pittsburgh, PA, was playing with his own dog at the park when a grey and white Pitbull appeared and approached them. The dog seemed frantic but wouldn’t let Gary get close enough to touch him. Every time Gary stopped following, however, the dog would turn and bark as if telling Gary to hurry up and follow him. Worried for the dog near a busy road, Gary left his dog with a friend at the park and followed, seeing that the dog wanted and needed his attention. (Watch Video Below)
@wtae4 Hero dog leads stranger to owners in crisis: Gary Thynes was playing with his dog at a dog park in Pittsburgh on Tuesday when another dog approached him.
♬ original sound – WTAE-TV Pittsburgh
“I got this overwhelming feeling that he wanted me to follow him,” said Gary in an interview with WTAE-TV Pittsburgh. And so Gary followed, keeping close as the dog led him with clear determination as if he needed to show him something.
Miraculous Rescue: Discovering Two People in Crisis
Gary followed the dog to a tent encampment and directly to a man lying on the ground, seemingly unconscious. He immediately tried to revive the man, but he was so unresponsive that Gary worried he may not even be breathing. Glancing around, Gary spotted a nearby tent with a pair of legs sticking out of the opening—a second unconscious person who also wouldn’t respond when Gary attempted to wake her.
Thinking quickly, Gary called 911, and medics arrived on the scene within minutes to attend to the couple in crisis. The pair was then taken to a local hospital.
Dog Finds The Perfect Person To Help
Although Gary performed the critical role of calling 911, the heroic actions of the dog ultimately saved the lives of his owners. By some miracle, the dog found the perfect person to help—Gary understood the dog was asking for help, and he had the personal experience to know exactly how to help when he arrived on the scene.
“As someone in recovery myself that’s dealt with similar, I’m assuming, issues that they have—I’m 16 months sober from heroin addiction,” says Gary Thynes. “I know how quick you need to react to save someone’s life.”
Gary was quickly able to assess the situation and relay important information to first responders, getting the couple help as fast as possible. His empathy helped make him the best person the dog could have found, and his compassion didn’t end there.
The hero dog is still with Gary, who is caring for the pup while his humans recover and get care. “He’s a persistent little puppy. He’s amazing,” Gary says, gazing lovingly at the pup. “And he definitely saved some lives yesterday.”
