A Maryland rescue beagle named Milo might've been in the right place at the right time. For one 85-year-old woman, it's a lot more than that. Milo just may have saved her life and now he's being awarded for his heroism.
Silver Spring resident Makayla Swift Swift adopted the very perceptive Milo and it's paying off in spades. Swift's grandmother Lavelette White told Washington Post the pup is a lovable social butterfly with a lot of energy to burn.
"He's really, really full of energy," White said."He loves people. Everybody that knows him loves him. He's just so cute and sweet."
Beagles have been used for years as working dogs to sniff out disease, bedbugs, food (and more), and their ears work in tandem. According to the AKC, beagles' ears "catch scent particles and keep them close to the dog's nose, so he can take in as much information as possible."
As Swift prepared to take Milo for a walk one early November day, things, his senses kicked in. Milo took off across the street to a neighbor's house which belonged to an 85-year-old woman named Sherry Starr.
"I couldn't catch him," Swift said. "He started scratching on the front door. I'm thinking, 'Why is he literally trying to break into her house?'"
She realized Milo was responding to Starr's cries for help.
"He gets really serious at this point," Swift said. "He is barking really loud."
His barking was correct: Starr had fallen in the bathroom and became wedged between the toilet and bathtub hours prior.
"All of a sudden, standing there between the toilet and the tub, I slipped," Starr said. "I went down — hard — on the tile floor. I could not move at all. I'm thinking: I'm just going to die here."
Milo's alerts prompted Swift to call an ambulance to help get Starr un-stuck. Swift considers her pup a "blessing in her life" and animals rights organization PETA agrees. They honored Milo with the "Heroic Dog Award." For that, Swift will get a framed certificate and the hero dog will get a basket of toys and treats.
"When this dog sensed that his vulnerable neighbor needed urgent help, he led his guardian straight to her doorstep," PETA Vice President Colleen O'Brien said. "PETA hopes this story inspires people to consider adopting an animal from their local shelter, where so many clever, loving, and tenacious dogs like Milo are waiting for a family to join."
Uncommon Knowledge
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Newsweek is committed to challenging conventional wisdom and finding connections in the search for common ground.
