Dog saves owner by stopping traffic sounds like something right out of the movies, but actors were nowhere to be seen on the streets of Ottawa last week when brave one-and-a-half-year-old rescue dog Clover saved Hayley Moore’s life.
The duo was out walking in their neighborhood of Stittsville when Hayley suffered a seizure and collapsed. "All I remember is waking up in the ambulance and being really confused; just like what is going on," Haley told CTV news.
It wasn’t until later when CCTV footage was obtained from a neighbor, that Hayley realized Clover saved her life. The video shows Clover trying to rouse Hayley before jumping into the middle of the road where she flagged down Dryden Oatway, who was driving his van down the street on his way to work.
"It was really impressive, the dog actually blocked my way. She kind of backed into the road to block my truck," Oatway told CTV, adding that "the whole time she was backing down the street she had eyes on Haley, didn't look away from her. She kept her distance from me but made sure her owner was okay and that was amazing."
Dryden says it was clear that Clover wasn’t keen on him being near her owner but that she seemed aware her owner needed help. “Clover didn’t seem like she really wanted me to touch Hayley but she knew that Hayley did need assistance so she kept her distance from me.”
While Dryden was busy attending to Hayley, Clover tracked down another passerby to help before running home to alert Hayley’s family. "You could tell she didn't want to leave her even when we were with her but I think it just came to her that she was like 'I need to go home to let them know she needs help,'" Danielle Pilon, who stopped to offer a hand, told CTV.
When Hayley’s parents and Clover arrived back on the scene, Hayley was being treated by paramedics. "Watching Clover do what she did, making sure she was taking care of her human sister and going to the extreme...she basically put her life on the line for her girl," Diane Moore, Haley's mom, said.
Hayley is back home and while it’s not clear what caused the seizure, she says she knows if anything happens again that Clover will be there to save the day.
"If this ends up happening again, I feel 10 times safer and I know she will be there for me," Haley said. "You know how good animals are and she's a really amazing dog and I love her to death."
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