Wife thought their dog saved her husband after a heart attack by waking her — but it was the pet’s second heroic act that kept him alive
A family is indebted to their pet dog, who saved the owner’s life not once, but twice on a single occasion. Darren Cropper, a Canadian Army veteran, got more than he bargained for when he adopted Bear, a Siberian Husky–Golden Retriever mix, who was naturally built to serve his owners. The family from Bonfield, Ontario, had always trusted the pup’s loyalty, but he proved once again why his presence in the house is irreplaceable. One dreadful night, when Cropper suffered a massive heart attack, Bear jumped to his rescue in a way no one could have fathomed.
Janice, Cropper’s wife, was awoken by a sudden commotion from Bear at 4 a.m. on August 29, 2022. He pounced on her and howled in her ears, desperate to wake her up. Their son heard the noise and came over to investigate. Janice noticed her husband was missing and followed Bear downstairs. "I got up. I thought maybe he was having a coffee sitting down here watching TV," she told CTV News. As she stepped downstairs, she found Cropper lying unconscious on the floor in the hall. Terrified, Janice and her son rushed to Cropper while Bear had already jumped onto Darren’s chest.
Paramedics soon arrived and rushed the veteran to the hospital. Doctors revealed that he had suffered a severe heart attack known as “widowmaker.” Later, Cropper recalled the moments before he blacked out, saying he felt no pain but everything was “fuzzy.” "I was coming downstairs … When I hit the bottom step, that’s all I could remember." The family was deeply grateful to Bear for waking everyone up, but that was only part of the story. The doctors explained that Cropper likely wouldn’t have survived three hours of unconsciousness without CPR. But no one was awake to do it.
"I remember coming around, and he was on my chest. He wasn’t even trained to do it. He just did it,” Cropper said of his 3-year-old pet. He remembered seeing Bear jumping on his chest to perform a basic form of CPR, which likely saved his life after all. When Cropper regained his senses, Bear rushed to his wife and son to get help. The veteran underwent an emergency five-hour triple bypass surgery at a hospital in Sudbury and took a full year to recover. "When I first saw him when I got home, he came right to me and jumped in my arms, and I just broke down crying," Cropper shared.
Bear, who was inducted into the 2024 Purina Animal Hall of Fame, had parents who worked as former service dogs. Hence, the family believed their pet was genetically equipped to act during times of crisis. The dog owner acknowledged that things could have been a lot different if it weren’t for their furry hero. There are several accounts of dogs saving their owners' lives, and it only hints at the pure loyalty of dogs and why they are known as man's best friend since ancient times.