Dog runs to get help for 88-year-old owner

Aug. 24 (UPI) -- A California dog is being hailed as a hero after leading a city employee to where his owner, an 88-year-old woman, had fallen at the side of the house.

A home security camera was recording when Sandy, an 11-year-old dog adopted as a stray by owner Gwendola Johnson, approached trash collector Kirk White outside of Johnson's Glendale home.

White said the dog appeared to be trying to draw his attention to the side of the house.

"The way he was barking and he would look to the left like I have something to show you," White told KABC-TV.

Sandy led White to where Johnson, 88, was on the ground next to the house after falling off the porch an hour earlier.

Johnson said she had spotted the trash collector's arrival, but was unable to call out for help, so she sent Sandy to get his attention.

"When I saw him, I said to Sandy, 'You go get him,' so he did," she told KTLA-TV.

White helped Johnson get up and made sure she wasn't injured before he left to continue his route.

"We all cried when we saw the video. Sandy did a good job," said Johnson's granddaughter, Cheryl Malvar.

Malvar hailed White and Sandy as the heroes of the day.

"Kirk actually made an effort. Not everybody does. He investigated and he was aware enough to know it was off," she said. "We love him. He'll always have friends here."

White said the incident has him considering getting a dog of his own.

"I was thinking I want a dog like Sandy. We can learn something from animals," he said.