Maggie the rescue dog hailed a hero for raising the alarm
By Mary Dennehy
A RESCUE dog called Maggie has been hailed a hero after she raised the alarm when her new owner was experiencing severe breathing difficulties.
Waiting for her forever home at Dogs Trust for more than three years, Maggie (8) was adopted by Frank Saul and his family a few weeks before Christmas.
Frank and rescue dog Maggie at their home
Now settled into her new home in Clondalkin, Maggie is somewhat of a superstar to her adoptive family – after raising the alarm when Frank fell ill in the middle of the night.
Speaking with The Echo about Maggie, who is a Labrador cross, Frank said: “I took a turn and couldn’t get my breath.
“My wife was conked out beside me and my daughter was in her room, but I was unable to get their attention . . . I couldn’t get my breath and was panicking.
“Maggie was out on the landing and she came into the room . . . she must have sensed something.
“She went around to my wife’s side of the bed and started barking and then ran into my daughter’s room, pushing the door open and barking like mad.
“I can’t remember much of it really but my wife and daughter have said that if it wasn’t for Maggie, things could have been a lot worse.”
After alerting the family, an ambulance was called straight away and Frank was rushed to hospital.
“It was a very bad chest infection, which was on its way to pneumonia”, Frank said.
“I was in hospital for four days, it was a very frightening experience.”
He added: “My daughter told me that after I went to hospital, Maggie went upstairs and lay down on my side of the bed.
“Maggie was for my daughter, but now she says that Maggie is my dog.”
Crediting Maggie for rushing to his aid and alerting his family, Frank said: “Maggie coming to live with us was definitely meant to be.
“Everyone’s taking to her and she’s taking to the whole family, and is getting spoilt.”
According to Frank, his faithful friend Maggie has definitely found her forever home and despite being a nervous dog has quickly settled in with her new family.
Frank is now encouraging other people looking for a pet to consider a rescue dog, with hundreds of lovely dogs and puppies looking for a forever home.
Maggie was one of the dogs to star in Dog’s Trust Waiting for You campaign, which highlights the hundreds of rescue dogs at the animal charity’s rehoming centre in Finglas.
Anybody interested in adopting a dog, or in supporting the work of the charity and sponsoring a dog, is encouraged to visit Dogs Trust.
