Pit bull stops traffic to save unconscious owner
Gary Thynes was relaxing at the dog park in Pittsburgh, Pennsylvania, with his own pooch when something caught his eye. A pit bull had wandered into fast-moving traffic on Chestnut Street. He wasn’t lost—he was trying to catch someone’s attention.
Thynes left his own dog with a friend and raced after the small pit bull. “He would come just close enough for me to be out of arm’s reach, and then he would bark, turn around, run a few steps, turn around, bark again.”
The dog’s message was clear. “I got this overwhelming feeling that he wanted me to follow him.”
The pit bull raced along a nearby railroad track and into a surprisingly well-sheltered wooded area. “He led me to a tent encampment… At first, I saw just one gentleman. I tried to get his attention to wake him up, but he wouldn’t. He was completely unresponsive. I couldn’t even tell if he was breathing or not.”
The unresponsive man wasn’t the only person in the encampment. “Then I turned around and noticed a pair of legs sticking out of a tent, and I tried to shake them, and it was a woman who would not respond to me either.”
The persistent pit bull’s owner: ‘Momma can’t wait to get home to you’
Thynes called the police. First responders transported the unresponsive man and woman to the hospital. The city stated, “We are grateful to our Public Safety partners and the good Samaritan who were in the area and in a position to help.” But that’s not the end of the story.
Thynes explained, “I know how quickly you need to react to save someone’s life.” In a Facebook post, he revealed he is recovering from a heroin addiction and said of rescuing the couple in need, “so glad sobriety… put me in tune with my intuition more.” But he wasn’t done helping.
“Animal control said they had to take the dog to the pound, far outside the city… So I said that I would take the dog home with me.” That’s right—Thynes offered to foster the “persistent little puppy” who helped him save lives. He called it an “honor for me to take care of this guy until his humans are well enough to reunite.” And he got a surprising comment.
One woman wrote, “This is the woman life you and my dog saved—my boyfriend and I would love to meet you.” She also had a message for her pup. “Thank you … momma can’t wait to get home to you.” You can see Thynes interviewed in the video embedded below:
