Chihuahua helps save woman's life

Cheeka the Chihuahua knew something was wrong. "The dog woke me up. I looked all around, didn't see anything. I said, 'c'mon, let's go back to bed Cheeks' and she wouldn't go back to bed. She kept barking," said Ed McCollum of Gloucester who adopted Cheeka more than two years ago from the Cape Ann Animal Aid shelter. He says she's on medication for a liver illness and rarely barks.

McCollum explained Cheeka ran to a first floor window after running downstairs, which she never does alone, so he took her outside and she took him to an accident scene at the edge of his yard, a van on its side.



Inside the van was a woman, Mary Orlando, bleeding, pinned upside-down. "She didn't look good. She was having hard time breathing," said McCollum. He said he called 911 bringing rescuers to the scene in minutes.

She was taken to Beverly Hospital where she remains, but listed in good condition. "She could have been in there (in the van) all night long. Nobody even knew where the car was," said McCollum adding, Cheeka is such a good dog she would have dialed 911, if she could have, and let him keep sleeping.

With news video.