Dog Saves Owner from Choking to Death

A Springer Spaniel named Mollypops is enjoying a new squeaky chicken and some treats of her own for saving her human mom’s life in a most unusual way.

Rachel Hayes had just eaten a piece of hard candy, which lodged in her throat. She was choking, coughing, and not able to talk, when Mollypops came up from behind Hayes and hit her in the back so hard that it dislodged the treat.

According to the U.K.’s Mirror, Hayes sat down at her kitchen table and popped a strawberry candy into her mouth. The candy stuck, and as she gasped for breath, she said her dog kept coming up to her but she kept pushing Mollypops away.

"I was having difficulty breathing but Mollypops' sixth sense kicked in and she knew I was in trouble,” Hayes said.

After the rescue, Hayes said she was crying and shaking because she thought she was going to die.

"I just burst out crying and said, 'I love you.' She came over for a cuddle and I cuddled her. I told her she was a hero,” Hayes said. "I think she's glad to have me alive, otherwise she would have been left all on her own. But I don't think she knows quite what she has done.”

It’s very possible Mollypops knew what was happening. There have been studies conducted in which dogs sense a human is in distress and rush up to put paws on the person’s shoulder.

In a study conducted at the University of London, 18 dogs were filmed with their owners. In 15 instances, the dogs reacted to their humans' crying.

One of the dogs, an 8-month-old Labrador retriever, went up to his human when he heard her pretend to cry and put his paw on her shoulder.

The dogs approached the humans in a submissive way, suggesting they were offering comfort and empathy, researchers said.

Do you believe the dog knew what she was doing when she saved her owner's life?