New Delhi:
A service dog has demonstrated remarkable intuition by detecting his owner’s medical distress and responding swiftly. Bailey, a 5-year-old Aussie, sensed an impending episode of Postural Orthostatic Tachycardia Syndrome (POTS) — a condition that causes an abnormal increase in heart rate upon standing, leading to dizziness, fatigue and fainting — and rushed to help his owner.
The moment, captured in a video, begins with the text: “My dog prevents a dangerous fainting episode.” In the footage, the woman is seen working in her kitchen when Bailey suddenly approaches her, appearing to detect a change in her condition. Overlay text in the video narrates Bailey’s instincts: “Mom, something is wrong. Your heart is beating too fast. Too uneven. I can smell a change with you. Mom, stop. Please, sit down.”
Sensing the symptoms, the woman quickly sits down, and Bailey immediately takes action. He hugs her for comfort before rushing to the refrigerator, retrieving a water bottle, and bringing it to her. The captions suggest Bailey’s thoughts: “I’m right here. I know it’s scary. I am going to take care of you through it. You need water to take your medicine that keeps you here with me.”
Bailey then searches for her medication. “I don’t see your medication. I need to find it quickly. Oh, wait. There it is.” After fetching it, he remains by her side, ensuring she has everything she needs. As her symptoms worsen, he urges her to lay flat and breathe. “It’s getting worse. I’m right here, but you need to lay flat. Just breathe. I’m not going anywhere. You’re safe.”
The owner wrote in the caption, “I’m so glad Bailey helped me through this episode and kept me safe throughout the rest of the day.”
The dog’s quick response has moved viewers.
An Instagram user commented, “Dogs are nothing short of amazing. We don’t deserve dogs.”
“I don’t have any animals, but I will say we don’t deserve dogs, this made me tear up and now I want one,” another wrote.
“Dogs are angels without wings,” a comment read.
Someone said, “Dogs are so intelligent.”
Last year, a rescue dog named Gita saved her 84-year-old owner after he fell and injured his leg. An officer found Gita sitting in the middle of a remote road. When he tried to move her, she led him down an unmarked path to a small cabin, where the injured man had been calling for help. The man had been stranded for three hours and needed medical attention. Authorities praised Gita as a “true hero” for her loyalty and quick thinking, crediting her with saving her owner’s life.