Blind dog helps save woman who collapses on street

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By: The Canadian Press

WINNIPEG — Though he’s blind, Samuri lives up to his noble name.

The visually impaired Japanese Akita helped save a woman who collapsed on the street where he lives with his owner, Jo-Ann Drozdowski.

‘‘We were just sitting watching TV,’’ Drozdowski said. ‘‘It was about 7:30 or eight when he just started going crazy and barking.’’ She and her husband Don at first assumed the dog was barking at passersby, but he would not relent.

Finally, Drozdowski sent her husband outside for a closer look.

‘‘(Samuri) runs up and brings Don up to the fence,’’ Drozdowski said.

That’s when Don spotted a woman collapsed in a heap near the curb. He checked for a pulse and didn’t find one, and shouted out to his wife to get help.

‘‘As soon as Don yelled ‘there’s a woman down,’ Samuri stopped barking,’’ Drozdowski said.

The victim turned out to be the Drozdowski’s 25 year-old neighbour, who has Lupus. She had a stroke walking home from the bus stop and collapsed in the street, metres from her home. Almost two weeks later, she’s still hospitalized, dealing with paralysis on one side, Drozdowski said.

They believe their dog saved the woman’s life, because she was partially hidden where she fell.

‘‘There’s no way, truly, anyone would’ve seen her. It’s not a busy road at night,’’ Drozdowski said.

‘‘He just did his job,’’ added her husband, explaining that Samuri means to guard in Japanese.

‘‘He checked the neighbourhood and barked when something went wrong. He’s a warrior, he watches the neighbourhood, he’s our guard.’’