Wife woke to find her husband had stopped breathing — but their Golden Retriever’s desperate signal saved his life and made the dog a ‘CPR Hero’

For a young wife, Hannah Cooke, an ordinary night turned into a frightening emergency that unfolded in seconds, leaving no time to think. Hannah said the moment her dog alerted her, she woke up with a strange feeling, and she soon realized her husband, Adam, had stopped breathing. Their Golden Retriever, Polly, had sensed the danger first, and that brief moment of warning became the difference between life and loss. On Tuesday, November 25, 2025, Polly will be honored in London for this act of bravery as a “CPR Hero.”

As reported by the BBC, last year, Hannah was jolted awake that night because of their four-year-old dog, and she immediately started CPR on her husband while waiting for help to arrive, using skills she had from her time as a carer. After getting up, she remembered hearing her husband breathe in a way she said was unlike anything she had ever heard and then watching him slip into complete silence. Paramedics reached their home in County Fermanagh and used a defibrillator seven times on the way to the hospital. Adam, a 37-year-old runner, remained unconscious for six days before finally waking. He was eventually found to have dilated cardiomyopathy and received an implantable cardioverter defibrillator to help protect him from any future episodes. Through all this, the couple believed Polly had given them the time they desperately needed.

After weeks in the hospital, Adam was reunited with Polly, the dog he credits with helping save his life. He said he cried when he saw her and believed she understood the moment, recalling how she whimpered as if relieved he had returned home. "It was an emotional moment," he expressed. Hannah said Polly was “so in tune with Adam,” adding that the dog barked at the exact moment the cardiac arrest appeared to begin. She believed those seconds mattered more than anything else that night. Her words reflected that sense of partnership, “Neither of us did anything special, but we did it together.” For that brave alert, Polly was named a "CPR Hero" in a ceremony organized by the British Heart Foundation.

Polly’s award was presented at her favorite walking spot since she could not travel to London, but the recognition carried the same meaning for the family. Adam nominated both his wife and their dog, saying he owed his life to them. "They are heroes. I wouldn't be here if it weren't [sic] for them." Experts noted that dogs often sense physical changes their owners cannot detect, with dog behaviorist Louise Glazebrook explaining that "Dogs are constantly picking up signals from us that we as humans either don't understand or we don't see them do it." For Adam and Hannah, those instincts changed their future, offering a second chance they never expected. At home, Polly enjoys the attention that comes with her new title, still believing she is number one, something her family seems happy to accept.