Hero Dog Sacrifices Himself To Save Owner From Being Hit By Bus

A seeing-eye guide dog from New York is being called a hero after he threw himself between his owner and an oncoming school bus Monday morning, taking the brunt of the impact and saving his owner from serious injury.

The driver of the Brewster school bus didn’t see 62-year-old Audrey Stone and her seeing-eye guide dog crossing the street at 8:15 a.m., but the golden retriever, Figo, saw him. When it was obvious the bus was going to hit his person, the dog, Figo, threw himself at the closest part of the bus he could and tried to absorb the impact and save his owner.

Paul Schwartz, manager of a nearby gas station, told Lohud that Stone was bleeding from her head and complaining of hip pain when he ran over to help, and her dog’s leg was cut to the bone.

“I don’t know if (the driver) thought (Stone) was going to move faster, but it looks like the dog tried to take most of the hit for her.”

Stone was transported to Danbury Hospital, where she remained Tuesday with a broken ankle, elbow, and three fractured ribs. Her dog, Figo, was taken to Middlebranch Veterinary, where his right front leg was splinted. He is otherwise well and waiting at the vet until his owner is released from the hospital.

The bus was transporting two kindergartners to school at the time. The school bus driver has been removed from duty pending a review of the bus’s cameras along with drug and alcohol testing.

Brewster Police Chief John Del Gardo told the USA Today the dog was a hero.

“The dog took a lot of the blow. And he did not want to leave her side. He stood right with her. He was there to save her.”

Stone and her dog, Figo, had made it about half way across an unpainted crosswalk when the bus, which was making a left hand turn, struck them. The bus wasn’t traveling fast enough to lead skid marks. The driver was given a summons for failing to yield to pedestrians and remains off duty until further notice.

Figo proved once again that dog is man’s best friend. Our canine companions often risk life and limb to save their human owners. In May another golden retriever saved his owner’s life during a home invasion in Michigan by attacking the intruder. Meanwhile, in February, a Boxer tried to save her owner’s life by covering her face with his body while their house burned down around them.

To adopt your own canine companion, visit your local SPCA.

[Photo by Stephen Chernin/Getty Images]