ATLANTA — A two-legged rescue dog is credited with helping rescue its owner during a life-threatening medical emergency.
“I don’t know if I would be here if I hadn’t heeded his warning,” Andrew Kuzyk told Channel 2’s Tom Regan.
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Kuzyk and his pup, Champ, are pretty much inseparable. It’s been that way since he adopted the chihuahua seven years ago after he was rejected at birth by his mother.
“They were going to get rid of it for good. And I said, ‘No, you’re not,’” Kuzyk said.
One night a few months ago, Kuzyk fell asleep on the floor when all of a sudden Champ started acting up and pushing on his chest.
“He usually doesn’t do that. He’ll cuddle, but the jumping, that was a little out of tune for him. I knew something had to be pretty wrong with him doing that,” he said.
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Moments later, Kuzyk sensed what Champ was trying to tell him: He was having a heart attack and he needed medical care right away. Champ alerted Kuzyk’s wife.
“I couldn’t even get up. They had to call an ambulance actually,” he said.
At the hospital, doctors quickly determined a major artery in his heart was blocked, a so-called “widow maker” because it’s often fatal. But doctors saved Kuzyk. He is convinced he wouldn’t have made it to the hospital if not for his buddy Champ.
“If Champ hadn’t made this ruckus, do you think you wouldn’t have gotten the medical attention you needed?” Regan asked.
“No, not at all,” Kuzyk said.
Dogs can be trained to detect subtle changes in an owner’s body that might indicate an impending heart attack, seizure of stroke. But others may have the ability to do this naturally.
Kuzyk believes that it’s a gift given to Champ and in turn given to him.
“I do believe God put this dog next to me. And near me because of things I’ve had to overcome. God had a reason for that.”
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