Pitbull helps rescue elderly woman by barking at back window, pawing at door

Dogs are man’s best friend — and hero.

An elderly woman in Wisconsin suffered a fall last Thursday, leaving her unable to get up from her walkway.

She was saved from lying there for hours thanks to one intuitive dog, Bella.

Bella’s owner, David Baye, was alerted to the danger his neighbour was in as the dog pawed and barked at the back door and window.

READ MORE: Efforts continue to repeal Ontario’s pitbull ban, but there’s still a long road ahead

He said that Bella rarely acted this way.

“My fiancée and I got dressed and went out there right away and helped her get up and get back inside her home, make sure she wasn’t injured.”

Baye, who works part-time at the Fox Valley Humane Association as an in-house photographer, said he feared his neighbour would’ve been outside all night had it not been for his beloved dog.

1:37 Pit bulls model flower crowns in hopes of erasing bad reputation

“With somebody in their late 60s, early 70s being out in 20-degree (Fahrenheit) temperatures, being outside for eight-plus hours, my fiancée and I would have gotten up for work the next morning, it could have been a very dangerous situation,” he said.

Get breaking National news

For news impacting Canada and around the world, sign up for breaking news alerts delivered directly to you when they happen.

Sign up for breaking National newsletter Sign Up

By providing your email address, you have read and agree to Global News' Terms and Conditions and Privacy Policy.

He shared the story on his Facebook page, and it promptly garnered more than 70,000 shares, 192,000 reactions and nearly 600 comments.

“We started calling her and when we did, she started pawing pretty frantically at the back patio door glass, which she has never done before,” he captioned a sweet photo of his dog.

READ MORE: Green ‘shamrock puppy’ born in litter of Great Danes

Thankfully, Baye’s neighbour didn’t need medical attention following her fall.

“Lucky for her that Bella had the instinct or insight or whatever you might call it to alert us that something was wrong,” Baye concluded.

While their neighbour surely has a soft spot for Bella now, so does the rest of the internet.

Another wrote: “Dogs are so smart,” while one made a sweet suggestion: “Many, many deserved treats and snuggles today!”

Bella has definitely earned some extra dog treats for a while.

—

meaghan.wray@globalnews.ca