A Basset Hound named George saved his life by dialing 999 as
he choked on a telephone cord. George, a 2-year-old Basset Hound from South
Heindley, West Yorkshire, U.K., was strangled by a phone cord — and
miraculously saved his own life by calling 999, the British equivalent of 911,
reports The Sun.
George knocked over a
heavy-duty, old-fashioned phone in owner Steve Brown’s home; he became tangled
in the cord and wound up with it wrapped around his neck. Somehow, George — in
the midst of choking — managed to dial 999 with his paw. The emergency operator
heard heavy breathing and gasping on the other end and alerted the authorities,
who entered the house with the help of a neighbor, Paul Walker, who had a key.
Walker saw the dog choking and ripped the cord free from the
phone to save him.
He told The Sun: "Incredibly you could see where his
paw print was on the phone to ring 999 — he literally saved his own life."
Lydia Brown, the daughter of George's owner, expressed equal
amazement at the Basset's lifesaving feat, telling The Sun, "He's really
dopey and just likes to chew socks."
George isn't sounding quite so dopey now, though.