Dog makes cell phone call to save owner's life
Beagle receives award after dialing 911 when man suffered seizure
![]() Max Taylor / AP A beagle named Belle poses with her owner, Kevin Weaver, in Washington on Monday after becoming the first canine to win the VITA Wireless Samaritan Award. |
Slideshow |
Animal Tracks A dog in dreads, two finicky sea turtles, a chilled-out chimp and monkeys and meerkats with pumpkins – find all that and more photos of creatures great and small. more photos |
Pet health videos |
Corwin fights to save endangered species Nov. 6: TODAY’s Meredith Vieira talks to famed naturalist Jeff Corwin about his new MSNBC special, “Future Earth: 100 Heartbeats.” |
Most popular |
| |||||
ORLANDO, Fla. - A 17-pound beagle named Belle is more than man’s best friend. She’s a lifesaver.
Belle was in Washington, D.C., on Monday to receive an award for biting onto owner Kevin Weaver’s cell phone to call 911 after the diabetic man had a seizure and collapsed.
“There is no doubt in my mind that I’d be dead if I didn’t have Belle,” said Weaver, 34, whose blood sugar had dropped dangerously low. Belle had been trained to summon help in just those circumstances. She had been taught to bite down on the number 9 on his cell phone contacting 911.
Belle was the first canine recipient to win the VITA Wireless Samaritan Award, given to someone who used a cell phone to save a life, prevent a crime or help in an emergency.
Using their keen sense of smell, animals like Belle can detect abnormalities in a person’s blood-sugar levels. The dog periodically licks Weaver’s nose to take her own reading of his blood-sugar level. If something seems off to her, she will paw and whine at him.
“Every time she paws at me like that I grab my meter and test myself,” Weaver said. “She’s never been wrong.”
- Discuss Story On Newsvine
-
Rate Story:
View popularLowHigh - Instant Message
MORE FROM PET HEALTH |
| Add Pet health headlines to your news reader: |
Resource guide



