The dog who saved a man's life

This is Tia the five-year-old dog who proved herself to truly be man's best friend by saving the life of a Norwich pensioner. When Roy Rampley, 83, suffered a stroke in the middle of the night and fell out of bed, his wife Sonia was in such a deep sleep she did not hear the commotion.

However, Tia, a five-year-old Patterdale Terrier, had sensed something was up and began furiously scratching at the 78-year-old's hand until she woke up.

After taking Tia outside thinking she needed to relieve herself, Mrs Rampley turned the bedroom light on to discover her husband lying paralysed on the floor. She was then able to call an ambulance to the scene just in time to save her husband's life.



The couple, who live in Plumstead Road, were looking after Tia and another dog called Fudge for two weeks at the end of January, as part of the Barking Mad dog-sitting scheme, in which dogs are found temporary homes rather than put in kennels.

Mrs Rampley said Tia had been particularly close to her husband while she had been staying at the house and enjoyed sitting on his lap on the sofa. Thanks to her, he is now recovering at the Norfolk and Norwich University Hospital.

Mrs Rampley added: “It is so lucky we were looking after them.”