Dog alerts officers to save owner from suicide

Canine barks at police and runs towards river where they find woman unconscious in water

A woman from Jiangsu province has been saved from suicide by her pet dog, which led police to her as she was drowning in a river.

On April 7, the woman, surnamed Fan, left home after a drunken family argument, with the dog following her.

In a distressed state, Fan called police, telling them she intended to jump from a building.

After getting the call, officers searched the neighbourhood but failed to find her.

As they searched along the riverbank near Fan’s home, officer Chen Bo found Fan’s pet.

Girl, your life was saved by your dog. Please, cherish it and live well SOCIAL MEDIA COMMENTATOR

It barked at the police and ran towards the riverbank, so they followed it while also calling Fan’s phone. The sound of the phone ringing under a bridge caught their attention and led them to Fan who they found floating on the water.

Officer Chen jumped in the river, and with the help of his colleagues, dragged Fan to the bank where they succeeded in reviving her.

The story of a loyal pet saving its owner has attracted praise on mainland social media.

“Girl, your life was saved by your dog. Please, cherish it and live well,” one online observer wrote on Weibo.

“Never doubt the intelligence and loyalty of pets,” said another.

In China, the number of pet-owning households reached 106 million in 2023, according to a market consumer report.

Fan is not the only person to have been saved by her pet.

In November 2022, a Golden Retriever from Zhejiang province saved its 78-year-old owner who had a stroke and collapsed at home.

The nine-year-old dog barked all day, attracting the attention of neighbours who called the police. After the old man was admitted to hospital, the dog hardly ate or drank for 12 days and died as a result.

In the same year, a dog saved its owner from a blaze in Guizhou province, where wooden houses are prone to fires.

When the fire broke out at the home of an elderly person while he was sleeping, his pet dog woke him up and shielded him from falling bricks with its body.

If you have suicidal thoughts or know someone who is experiencing them, help is available. Call 18111 for the government-run Mental Health Support Hotline, 2896 0000 for The Samaritans or 2382 0000 for Suicide Prevention Services.