7-month old puppy chewed off its owner's toe — but that ended up saving the man's life

"My puppy had near enough chewed my big toe off! It chewed down to the bone and cracked it," he revealed.

PUBLISHED JAN 22, 2025

A person sitting on a bench with their dog sitting beside them (Representative Cover Image Source: Pexels | MART PRODUCTION)

While you might get irritated with the dogs disturbing your peaceful, deep slumber, Dave Lindsay, a 65-year-old pet parent, had a surprising reason to be grateful. Well, when Lindsay was half-asleep on his sofa, his dog, Harley was busy munching on his toe, as reported by LADbible. But unexpectedly, this turned out in Lindsay's favor as he later found out that Harley actually saved his life.

A dog licking its owner's face (representative Image Source: Pexels | thevibrantmachine)

Lindsay woke up from his sleep when his wife barged into the room and screamed at the top of her voice. Upon looking down, the retired builder was stunned when he saw his toes covered in blood and one even was fractured. "I was asleep on the couch when my wife walked in and shouted, 'Dave, the puppy's chewing your toe!' My puppy had near enough chewed my big toe off! It chewed down to the bone and cracked it," Lindsay revealed.

A dog playfully bitting its owner's fingers (Represenatative Image Source: Pexels | Ivan Babydov)

Interestingly, what was even more concerning was that even after so much physical damage, the man did not feel anything. Lindsay rushed to the doctor only to find something even more shocking. "Because of all this, I discovered that my foot is completely numb, I can't feel anything." The doctors prescribed him antibiotics to prevent any infection from spreading to his bone because of the dog bite. Lindsay had to undergo CT Scans and doctors discovered that he had two blocked arteries in his leg, justifying why his toes had gone numb.

A man analayzing CT scan reports (Representative Image Source: Pexels | MART PRODUCTION)

But then how did Harley's intervention help him? The doctors revealed that Lindsay could have lost his leg if the blood supply had not returned to normal, so his then seven-month-old pup's timing was perfect. The man spent over a week in the hospital before he was eventually discharged. "You've got to laugh about it. He's done me a favor by chewing my toe. I will be keeping the dog. I'll try to keep my toe too, but if not I told the doctor to cut it off and I can take it home for him [Harley]!" Lindsay shared with the outlet.

A dog sitting next a person (Representative Image Source: Pexels | Helena Lopes) — A dog sitting next to a person (Representative Image Source: Pexels | Helena Lopes)

Meanwhile, in another heroic dog story, a brave puppy saved its owner who was stuck in freezing snow. It was New Year's Eve when Bob went out to fetch some firewood. Notably, Bob was wearing only Long Johns, a shirt and slippers although it was -4°C outside. Unfortunately, the man broke his neck and got stuck in the snow all alone. It was even more horrifying because Bob was turning hypothermic. Recalling the inside, he said, "I was screaming for help, but my nearest neighbor is about a quarter mile away and it was 10:30 pm, but my Kelsey came.”

A man and his husky in an area surrounded by snow (Representative Image Source: Pexels | Mikhail Nilov)

The 5-month-old golden retriever lay on top of its master, transferring body heat. Additionally, Kelsey kept barking asking for help. “She kept barking for help but never left my side. She kept me warm and alert. I knew I had to persevere through this and that it was my choice to stay alive," Bob shared. Even after the man gave up, his dog continued barking for help. Finally, the next day, Kelsey's howling alerted a neighbor who immediately rushed Bob to the hospital. “I was surprised to find out that I didn’t have any frostbite. I am sure it was because Kelsey was determined to keep me warm and safe,” the man shared.