PETOSKEY, MI (WCMH) — There’s a dog in Michigan that some are calling a hero.
After her owner slipped and fell in the snow, Kelsey came to his side, keeping him alive for nearly a full day before help arrived.
On New Year’s Eve, a man identified only as Bob walked out of his house to get another log for his fire.
That’s when he slipped and fell, injuring his neck. He was in the snow in temperatures as low as 24 degrees for about 20 hours. His saving grace was his dog Kelsey.
“Kelsey was licking him and barking at him and pawing at him,” said Bob’s daughter Jenny. “I can see marks on his arm from her pawing at him.”
Kelsey stuck with Bob the whole 20 hours, keeping him warm until his neighbor Rick came over and found Bob.
“The last thing he remembers saying is telling Kelsey that he was so sorry, that he tried as hard as he could to stay alive,” Jenny said. “He wasn’t sure by the end, he remembers losing consciousness and kind of putting his head to the side and saying ‘ I gave it all I could give it’ and that was it. We think about one hour later is when Rick came and found him.”
Bob was brought to the hospital and immediately prepped for neurosurgery. Dr. Chaim Colen was in charge.
“I don’t think he would be living unless the dog were there,” Colen said. “The dog kept him warm. The dog kept his extremities warm. He didn’t have any frostbite and it was 24 degrees that night.”
After a successful surgery, Bob and Kelsey were reunited.
“He was right out of surgery and she licked his face and they were crying and it was beautiful,” Jenny said. “It was everything that you would think the reunion would be.”