Dog day: Labrador named hero dog
Published: September 9, 2005
A Labrador dog who saved his owner from being hit by an out-of-control car was named Britain’s Heroic Guide Dog of the Year on Thursday.
A car had crashed and was spinning towards Arthur Griffiths, who is blind, when his guide dog rushed into action. Griffiths heard a loud bang and felt four-year-old Timber pull him along the pavement.
The dog saw the danger and moved his owner to safety just in time.
“Timber is my hero and undoubtedly saved my life,” Griffiths said.
“If he had not moved us both further up the road, I dread to think what would have happened.”
The honour was bestowed at the Guide Dog Of The Year Awards, run by the Guide Dogs for the Blind Association and held at the Kennel Club in London.
Vaughn, a Labrador-retriever cross, was named Guide Dog of the Year for his “outstanding loyalty and devotion” to owner Susan Jones, of Warrington, northwest England.
Jones is visually impaired and occasionally struck deaf.
She said: “I rely on my hearing to orientate myself and to lose it suddenly can be very frightening, but I know that Vaughn is here to help and guide me in the right direction.”
Another Labrador-retriever cross, Eamon, was given the Life-Changing Guide Dog of the Year award.
Owner Stuart Beveridge, 19, from Fife, central Scotland, could previously only leave his house with a helper or a parent.
Beveridge said: “Before Eamon came into my life, I didn’t like going out on my own as I was scared that I’d get lost.
“Now I know that I am not alone and there is someone looking out for me.”
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