Dog Heroically Leads Stranger to 2 Unconscious People in Need of Help: ‘He Definitely Saved Some Lives’
"It felt like he was trying to get my attention. And I got this overwhelming feeling that he wanted me to follow him," Gary Thynes recounted
NEED TO KNOW
- A dog heroically led a stranger to two unconscious people in need of help in Pittsburgh on July 29
- The dog repeatedly ran up to and barked at Gary Thynes to get his attention, prompting the man to follow the animal to the site of the emergency
- Thynes encountered a man and woman, both "unresponsive," in a "tent encampment," and quickly called 911
A man is detailing his encounter with a real-life Lassie.
Gary Thynes was playing with his dog at a park in Pittsburgh's North Shore neighborhood on Tuesday, July 29, when another dog approached him, seemingly attempting to get his attention.
"He would come just close enough for me to be out of arm's reach, and then he would bark, turn around, run a few steps, turn around, bark again," Thynes recounted to ABC affiliate WTAE. "And it felt like he was trying to get my attention. And I got this overwhelming feeling that he wanted me to follow him."
Thynes left his pet in the care of a friend and allowed the dog to lead him to a wooded area along a railroad track. Thynes recalled immediately sensing that something was amiss.
"He led me to a tent encampment with two [people]," Thynes told WTAE. "At first, I saw just one gentleman. I tried to get his attention to wake him up, but he wouldn't. He was completely unresponsive. I couldn't even tell if he was breathing or not."
He continued, "And then I turned around and noticed a pair of legs sticking out of a tent, and I tried to shake them, and it was a woman who would not respond to me either."
Thynes called 911, and police and medics responded to the scene within minutes.
"I know how quickly you need to react to save someone's life," he said. "And so, the very first thing that went through my head was: immediately call. Call the police. Get someone out there as fast as they can go."
The City of Pittsburgh Department of Public Safety confirmed to PEOPLE that an unresponsive male and female were taken to a local hospital.
"We are grateful to our Public Safety partners and the good Samaritan who were in the area and in a position to help," the department said in a statement.
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As for the heroism of the dog who alerted him to the emergency situation, Thynes said, "He's amazing, and he definitely saved some lives yesterday. He is a persistent little puppy."
The dog is now in Thynes' care while the man and woman remain in the hospital, per WTAE. There has been no update on their conditions.
"Animal control said they had to take the dog to the pound, far outside the city. I figured that these folks wouldn’t be able to get out there to get him back … much less be able to afford the fees to get him out. So I said that I would take the dog home with me," he wrote.
Thynes said he gave his number to the social worker who responded to the incident and "told her to tell [the man and woman] I would keep the dog safe, and if they would, I would keep the dog for a while if they wanted to go get treatment."
After bringing the dog back to his apartment, Thynes looked the animal over to assess his overall condition. "I got a good look at this little hero. He’s pretty thin, and it seems like he has a pretty bad infection in his eye … so I’m going to do whatever I can to help this little guy out the way that he helped save his owners' lives," he explained in his post.
Thynes said it's "an honor" to help care for the courageous dog.
"I know how important the unconditional love of your dog can be, and how much love they have for you," he wrote. "So it is an honor for me to take care of this guy until his humans are well enough to reunite with a dog that loves them very much."
