Guide Dog Jumps In Front Of School Bus To Save Blind Owner

June 10, 2015

Figo the Golden Retriever was guiding his blind owner, Audrey Stone, 62, across the street in Brewster, New York on Monday morning when a school bus failed to stop. Figo's protective instincts kicked in and jumped in front of Stone to take the blow, witnesses said.

hero dog jumps in front of bus to save blind owner
Credit: The Journal News

Stone suffered a fractured elbow and ankle, three broken ribs, and a cut to her head in the accident, while Figo suffered a deep cut to his right leg.

Paul Schwartz, who witnessed the accident, said Figo tried desperately to be near his owner while paramedics attended to her.

"He sat with me the whole time. He was limping as we put him on a big blanket on the sidewalk and it started to rain. He let us wrap up his leg without any problem," Schwartz told The Journal News. "He wasn't barking or crying or yelping. But he kept pulling toward her. After she was put on a gurney and taken away, he stopped doing that. He seemed a little lost after she left."

hero dog jumps in front of bus to save blind owner
Credit: Middlebranch Veterinary Hospital

Stone is being treated in the hospital while Figo was taken to a local vet for surgery.

Stone, interviewed by an officer in her hospital bed, was happy to hear that her dog was being treated and that friends are working out the details of the dog's care while Stone recovers.

Middlebranch Veterinary Hospital says the hero retriever is now "resting comfortably and doing extremely well."