Dog saves man stuck in bath

BBC News ^ | Monday, 8 September, 2003

[presidio9]

A man suffering from multiple sclerosis who lay trapped in his bathtub for six days says he owes his life to his loyal dog. Bruce Ashworth, 55, slipped while taking a bath in his home in the US state of Colorado on 29 August.

Mr Ashworth, a retired engineer who now uses a wheelchair, could not reach the safety handles in the bath to rescue himself.

His specially-trained Labrador dog, Libby, retrieved his phone so he could call for aid, but it had no power.

Undeterred, Libby kept her master alive by licking his face to keep him awake and tapping her paws on the floor to prevent him from slipping into unconsciousness.

"The whole time I was laying in the tub, she played little games with me to keep my spirits up," Mr Ashworth told the local Rocky Mountain newspaper.

"I actually spent a lot of time hallucinating. I wasn't aware of what reality was."

'Thankful'

As hours turned into days, Mr Ashworth said he began to fear he may die.

But a local bus driver - who had come to pick Mr Ashworth up to take him to his weekly doctorate class - was alerted by Libby's barking when he failed to answer the door.

Julie Johnson then asked a neighbour to call emergency services and let herself in the home.

She found Mr Ashworth weak and barely coherent after days without food and little water.

But despite his trauma, Mr Ashworth still found the strength to thank Ms Johnson as he was taken to the ambulance.

"I am so thankful for this lady," he told the paper.

[bedolido]

this has been posted twice and both have been moved to general interest. that's why it didn't show on a search. I guess they delete the search words. (how do I know this? I posted it myself an hour ago or so)... see you in general interst.

[presidio9]

Libby

[secret garden]

Good doggie ping.

[lilylangtree]

Read this over the weekend. Not to belittle this man's experience, but I immediately thought about an old rerun of The Dick Van Dyke Show where Mary Tyler Moore got her big toe stuck in bathtub faucet while playing with a drip.

[bedolido]

yay... he leaves YOURs in New and moves mine to e General Interest.

[presidio9]

What can I say? Newbies get less leeway I guess...

[bedolido]

Speaking of newbies... what is the official time period as a newbie? that is, when does a user graduate to the next level of FR? I've been here for 6 months... is it one year?

[bedolido]

just wondering (as a newbie and all)

[Tijeras_Slim]

Speaking of newbies... what is the official time period as a newbie? that is, when does a user graduate to the next level of FR? I've been here for 6 months... is it one year?

Usually it's after you stop asking silly questions. :)

[presidio9]

As far aas I'm concerned, all post 9/11 sign-ups will be newbies for some time to come.

[bedolido]

not nice... newbies have feeling too... just not as wise as oldbies

[Tijeras_Slim]

There's your problem, you think wisdom has something to do with it. After you've been here awhile you'll know better. :)

[bedolido]

Old in years... young in FR... still I'm glad I'm here with you wise oldbies. I get all my news here. I used to go thru all the news sites and drudge. I don't even go there anymore. Guess you could say I've been FR-a-tized.

[Tijeras_Slim]

I think lots of us have followed that same process.

[LibertyAndJusticeForAll]

Thanks for posting.

[Fawnn]

...all post 9/11 sign-ups will be newbies for some time to come.

In that case, I'd signed up circa "sometime before that," but then, not being as well-trained as the one in this story, the dog ate my computer, and I lost all my cookies and passwords, then I procrastinated and lurked, and then, ta da!, here I am in a new, improved version!

[presidio9]

I'm just kidding. I don't buy into the newbie crap anyway. By one name or another, I have been with FR since 98 myself. I am always fascinated by the desperate who seek out tenure as justification. It never is.

[bedolido]

thanks new friend. I find FR a place of intelligent (sometimes), pleasant (frequently), informed (always), mean (just once... yesterday...). However, I will "perserve to endure" (Chief Dan George, The Outlaw Josey Wales).

[Ditter]

I happened onto FR way back, '97 or early '98, I think. There was a link on Drudge & when I realized Rush was reading articles that I had already read on FR, I knew this was a good place.