89-Year-Old Fell And Couldn’t Get Up — A Neighbor’s Dog Heard His Cries, Saved His Life

February 26, 2026

If not for the sharp ears of a neighbor’s dog, 89-year-old Mickey McKinney says his recent fall could have ended very differently.

Linda and Rosa, Mickey McKinney / CTV News

Earlier this month, McKinney stepped outside his home on Manitoulin Island, Ontario, around 4:30 p.m. to move his snowblower. That’s when he slipped and fell.

He tried to stand up but couldn’t. The effort quickly wore him out.

“Eventually, I started getting worried,” McKinney told CTV News.

So he did the only thing he could think of.

“As a last resort, I start yelling for help,” he said.

Those calls didn’t go unheard.

Next door, a seven-year-old rescue dog named Rosa suddenly began barking at the door — something her owner, Linda Gilchrist, knew wasn’t normal.

“She went to the door and she barked, which was unusual,” Gilchrist said. “I mean, there was nobody there. And so I got my boots on and her leash, and we went outdoors. As soon as we got outside, I heard a call for help.”

McKinney, who served as a police officer for more than 30 years, said this was the first time he’s found himself on the other side of an emergency.

He’s grateful Rosa was listening.

“I brought her some cookies the next day,” he said with a smile. “She’s a lifesaver. I think so, anyway.”