A Canadian war veteran has revealed in incredible detail how his puppy Bear saved his life after he suffered a massive heart attack.
Darren Cropper, 57, said he should have died in August 2022 when he suffered the medical emergency, but Bear immediately sprang into action, jumping up and down on his chest for hours until he was discovered.
The Siberian Husky jumped so long that it left paw prints in Cropper’s chest, the National Post.
Paramedics later told the father, a retired Special Forces weapons specialist, that the only thing that saved him from death was Bear’s heroics.
Darren Cropper, 57, revealed his beloved puppy Bear saved his life by jumping up and down on his chest for hours after he suffered a heart attack
Bear, a Siberian husky who was one year old at the time, jumped so long that it left paw prints on Cropper’s chest
Cropper said he had his near-death experience toward the end of the summer, when he woke up in the middle of the night feeling unwell.
He said he decided to go downstairs to watch TV instead of going back to bed because “once I’m awake, I’m awake.”
But when Cropper walked into his basement, everything went black and his one-year-old puppy suddenly jumped on his chest.
Bear began to cry and scream, which caught the attention of Darren’s wife Janice, 59, and son Matthew, 29.
They found Cropper lying flat on the ground and called 911 to get him to the hospital as soon as possible.
He was first transferred from his home in Bonfield, Ontario, to the North Bay Regional Health Centre, and then transferred to the cardiac unit of a larger hospital, as he was scheduled to undergo open-heart surgery.
Doctors discovered that Darren’s heart attack was caused by a blockage in the arteries leading from his right lung to his heart.
Cropper was found by his wife Janice, 59 (pictured together) and son Matthew after Bear’s cries for help led them to him
Cropper said Bear is now known as ‘Care Bear’ or ‘Hero Puppy’ for his life-saving efforts
Cropper is a retired Special Forces weapons specialist with the Canadian Army
Looking back on the incredible near-miss, Cropper told the National Post: “If Bear hadn’t jumped on my chest, I wouldn’t be alive.
“Basically he did Puppy CPR and got my blood flowing. No one taught him that, but his parents were both service dogs. I think it’s in him, his instincts.”
While recovering in the hospital, Cropper was unable to see his pet due to the Covid-19 pandemic and could only communicate through video calls.
But he said his beloved dog recognized him despite the distance: “He saw me on the video and he went absolutely crazy!”
Bear’s rescue efforts have now earned him a place in the Purina Hall of Fame, joining other dogs who have saved their owners against all odds.
“My wife calls him our Care Bear. I call him my Hero Puppy,” Cropper concluded.
