Woman Believes a Neighbor’s Dog Saved Her When She Had a Stroke

It’s not the first time a dog was credited for being a hero, but it is certainly a story for the ages.

In January, Marcia Allen of Bettendorf, Iowa was by herself in her backyard when she suddenly collapsed next to her fence. Allen was having a stroke — and she was unable to speak or move.

“I couldn’t speak, my face was drooping, I had no feeling on my left side. A clot came off the heart and went to my brain,” Allen told Illinois television station WQAD.

In the next yard over, her neighbor’s dog — named Mack — spotted Allen on the ground. The 7-year-old black lab approached her and then turned on his hero mode.

“It was crazy. He barked so long and so loud. It was kind of a frantic bark, he knew something was wrong. He had that sixth sense that something wasn’t right,” she told WQAD.

Dave Scott, Mack’s owner, walked outside to deal with his dog’s loud barking. That’s when Scott noticed his neighbor on the ground and unable to move.

Emergency medical workers rushed in and took Allen to a hospital. She has since recovered from her stroke thanks to the medical care at the hospital. But, she admits that she probably wouldn’t have made it if not for the heroic actions of Mack.

“Mack the hero, he’s a wonderful dog. It was just amazing what he did, because I could have been laying out there for a long time,” Marcia Allen told WQAD.

Even Scott agrees that Mack had “doggie divine intervention.”

Mack’s heroic actions should come as no surprise to many dog owners. There have been numerous cases of dogs detecting health problems in humans and alerting people through their barking.

And if nothing else, Mack deserves a special treat for his outstanding doggie heroism.