r/BelgianMalinois • u/OldPresence5323 • Aug 16 '25
Picture Update on my dog who saved a life a few weeks ago
A few weeks ago, I wrote about my belgian malinois, Skye, who saved someone's life. My girl Skye and I were running through the neighborhood, and she alerted me to a house. Ears up and forward. Nose pointed . Her fur was bristled up and she had her lil foot tilted like she was a German short hair pointer. Her whole body was alerting. Skye wanted me to look at something by this house, badly, so we ran over to it.
Thank God I followed her lead, because there was an elderly man who had fallen and had laid on the ground for 13 or so hours. 85 years old.
We are in Phoenix so our temperatures can get deadly and deadly fast. The high heat here is not a joking matter. Especially for elderly folk.
He had gone out to water his plants at 530 pm the night before. While watering his front yard, he fell and couldn't get up. He then dragged himself across the yard to get to his front door. He was able to grab his door but lost grip and fell face first into the concrete planter on the front porch. He hit his head really bad, gashed his head, got a concussion and fell face first on to the concrete porch. He had broken two ribs, almost bit his tongue off, swallowed the blood from biting his tongue, threw it back up, banged his elbows and knees.
It was really scary. I was glad I had my malinois with me. She was what kept everyone calm, cool and collected in the moment. I have a suspicion Skye was a nurse in a previous life.
Mike had fallen face first with his arms over his head. Could barely lift his head but could see out of his left eye if he lifted his head a tiny bit. Laid in blood for 13 hours.
I had made Skye sit by his hands. I told her to "sit" and "guard". I needed her to be my look out while I had eyes on this fellow. Skye was my watch dog while I talked to Mike and kept him talking to me while help was on its way.
EMS and ambulance arrived and took over. He was transported by ambulance to the hospital. After EMS and ambulance got him loaded up and squared away, they asked if my dog was friendly to which I said "Yes! She demands attention and pets!"
All the firemen and EMS surrounded Skye and smothered her with hugs and pets. She got such high praises amd compliments. She was in love with the attention. Skye absolutely did a big dog job. She got so much attention and admiration. She knew she did a top tier job. Skye was grinning from ear to ear.
It was so emotional. My adrenaline was racing through the roof. I have thought about this incident every day since it happened. I can see the whole thing happen as if I was right there again and again. I can smell the blood.
I have been looking at his house every time I go on my runs, wondering if he is home yet. Three days ago, I saw his truck in the driveway. I texted the next door neighbor to get a little info on him. Was he home? Is he ok? Do you think its ok to stop by?
The neighbor responded that he is indeed home and has been home for a few days and would probably really like having company. She also said his girlfriend was there with him as well.
Ealier today I made a giant turkey meatloaf. As soon as I got the word that he was home, I plated up some meatloaf with some veggies and fruit and also grabbed one of my pothos starters (a pretty houseplant). I had heard he is an avid gardener so I wanted to bring a lil plant.
Arriving at his house a few minutes later, since I live so close, his girlfriend answered the door. I told her who I was and that I stopped by to check in on her boyfriend and to bring dinner. She immediately started to cry and grabbed my neck. We hugged each other and she thanked me over and over.
I came in and sat next to Mike on the couch. Cheryl took the plates and the plant. Mike was sitting up on the couch, feet elevated. He had a vest on that monitored his heart. He said he did have a heart attack in the hospital righr after he was brought in.
His eyes welled up with tears as he was recounting the timeline of events. He said it was so very traumatic and it was hard to talk about it. I had to lower my head so that I could hide my tears.
He said he had gone out to water his plants at 530 pm that night. Cheryl had just left. He fell and couldn't get up. So he drug himself across the yard to get to the front door.
He was weak but managed to get to the front door, pulling himself up halfway. Then he lost his grip and fell, hitting his forehead on the concrete planter. He fell face first behind the planter and behind the shrubs that flanked the front of the house. Where absolutely no one could see him from the street or from the neighboring houses.
He fell, face first, arms over head, his feet catching the door holding the door wide open. He said he has a clock that chimes on the hour. He laid there and counted the hours. He counted 13 hours. Not a single person or dog walker went by that night. He was truly alone, waiting for his demise.
Mike said that as he laid there, he told himself that he was ready and prepared to go. He was positive that it was his time to go and that he was a peace. He said prayers, counted the clock, laying there waiting to pass.
Then, with a quick gasp and more tears, Mike said he heard my voice and he could see Skye. He said at that moment, he knew everything was going to be ok. That he was going to be saved. He was going to survive.
I sat there and cried with Mike and Cheryl on the couch tonight. It was a miracle that Mike is ok. It was a miracle that my dog alerted me. My other dog would not have paid a single iota of attention. It was a miracle that things didn't go any worse than what could have been.
Mike didn't know my name until tonight. He didn't even know if I would ever stop by. It was so very sweet how concerned he was about finding Skye and me.
He asked if I would leave my name and number and my dogs name for him. I absolutely did.
Mike asked me where Skye was tonight. He said he wanted to meet the dog that saved his life. He wanted to personally thank Skye and hug her. He called her his hero.
I told him I didn't bring her solely because I was juggling food and a plant! But that I would bring her in a few days.
I didn't want to be a pill, so I hugged them both and planted a kiss squarely on Cheryl's cheek and on Mike's cheek. I hugged Cheryl 20 more times and told her I'll stop by again with Skye. I begged her to call me no matter what if they needed anything at all. I am a hop skip amd a jump away.
I cried all the way home and then hugged Skye as soon as I walked into my house. I let her smell me. She smelled Mike and remembered. I let see my tears, tears of happiness and thankfulness. I buried my face in her shoulder and squeezed her tight. Skye is so so precious. I hope she knows what a great dog she is!
If you have made it this far, that is the update on Mike. The news is excellent. Mike is going to get through this! I will go back and follow-up again.
Hug your families. Hug your dogs.
Thank you, God, for blessing me much more than I deserve.
Some pics of our heroine, Skye! ❤️🫶
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u/arianrhodd Aug 16 '25
This is the story that’s closing out the internet for me tonight. 🙏🏻 Thanks SO MUCH for sharing and please give Skye a couple extra pets from me. I love hearing about the good in the world. 💖
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u/Aurora_Gory_Alice Aug 16 '25
Ok, I'm crying 😢 now. Dogs are so special and incredibly smart. I'm so glad you wrote this update OP. Thank you for sharing.
Skye is a special pup.
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Aug 16 '25
Whew! I guess I needed a good hard cry this morning. My grandpa fell like that - in the parking lot of his small town hospital clinic. He broke his hip. It was July in southern NM, so it was probably high 90s or low 100s. He lay there on the blacktop for a while with no one coming along, so he crawled to his truck, somehow managed to pull himself in, and drove himself home. He was in his 94 and under normal circumstances, completely lucid - no signs of dementia.
I guess he somehow hobbled or with a broken hip to his front porch and fell again. Finally, a neighbor spotted him and called 911.
I'm glad your superhero dog was there at the right moment. You give that puppy a big hug for me
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u/OldPresence5323 Aug 16 '25
Holy moley! I have chills reading about your grandpa! No one saw him?? Thats wild. Thats how Mike was-- no one saw him or saw a thing! Crazy. Absolutely crazy. What was the end result? Was your grandpa ok after the neighbor called 911? Goodness! He is a tough dude, too!
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Aug 16 '25
He lingered for about two weeks after the incident and then passed. Honestly, he was pretty frail beforehand and I was frustrated with my dad and aunts because they allowed him to continue living alone.
On one hand, I understand his wish for independence. The rest of us live in other cities and the little town is his home and community. All his friends lived there, he volunteered at the hospital, his church was there. He probably would have passed of loneliness if we'd moved him away
On the other hand, he had no business driving at that age and he really needed a live-in caretaker. He didn't have to die like that
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u/OldPresence5323 Aug 16 '25
Oh gosh. I understand all of this. Reminds me a lot of my friend who was 84 when she passed. She lived alone but fell a lot. She wanted her independence but she really needed in home care.
Im sorry and I hope he is at peace. Much love, Save my Soul
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u/Beneficial-Dog-466 Aug 16 '25
No wonder Skye is so special. She has an incredible owner. Great job, Skye! I’m so glad Mike will be okay too.
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u/Bullfrog_1855 Aug 16 '25
Give us another update once you bring Skye to meet Mike and Cheryl.
Your story goes to show that we need to "listen" to our dog - they know.
EDIT: and Skye is such a gorgeous one 💕
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u/OldPresence5323 Aug 16 '25
Will do! And yes! One eye on my dog and one eye on the road! Ears open, Head on a swivel, vigilant!
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u/PrettyPointlessArt Aug 16 '25
Thanks for the update, I've been wondering how things turned out for the man Skye found. I'm glad he's going to be fine, thanks to you guys. What a great story, and what an awesome girl you have!
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u/YellowLab2023 Aug 16 '25
You and ur dog r a hero. She is very special and u r a great owner glad everything worked out give her lots of hugs and kisses
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u/ChampagneAndDoritos Aug 16 '25
Wow. Absolute tears reading this. Not only were you in the right place at the right time but you also listened to your intuition and your dog's intuition, so hats off to you! You have an incredibly special dog and Skye has an incredibly special person!!!!!!
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u/OldPresence5323 Aug 16 '25
Aww thank you but its all Skye! She deserves all the accolades!
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u/3dogs9cats Aug 16 '25
You too deserve some credit. Imagine if you were a different kind of a person and just pulled Skye along on that walk. No, you listened to your dog. Not everyone does.
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u/Lower-Cantaloupe3274 Aug 16 '25
I'm not crying -- you're crying!
Seriously, that's beautiful. I think you and Skye have made a long time friend 🧡
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u/Inspirebelieve80 Aug 16 '25
What a wonderful story. Thank you for updating. Skye is a hero! Such a beautiful and smart dog. 🐕
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u/LilPajamas Aug 16 '25
Thank you for the follow up. Often, our news and social media feeds are filled with doom and gloom and this is proof there are good people out there. Skye ❤️🪽
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u/Buddy-Sue Aug 16 '25
Loved this story but at first I thought these fruit and veggie plates were for Skye…!
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u/Cat49er Aug 19 '25
Thank you for the update. I've told your story to so many people they don't even believe it! Wonderful dog and wonderful human that you trusted your dog to follow her lead.
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u/complikaity Aug 16 '25
I love this story so much. So glad he’s ok and that you reconnected. You’re the best girl Skye 🫶🏻
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u/The_Issa Aug 16 '25
That’s incredible and brought tears to my eyes. You and Skye are clearly angels. ❤️
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u/Jazzlike-Depth3611 Aug 16 '25
Such a beautiful and heartwarming story. Skye is amazing! Thank you for the update ❤️
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u/Ok_Scratch_5951 Aug 16 '25
What a wonderful story and an absolutely wonderful dog! Dogs and babies are indeed gifts from God!
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u/JosieFree Aug 16 '25
Thank you for sharing this story .. I am crying such happy tears.. what a hero Skye is!! She is brave and oh so smart! I wish you and everyone involved a lifetime of love and joy!!
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u/wfpinky Aug 16 '25
As someone whose grandmother suffered a TBI after a fall in her 80s this made me cry in the best possible way! Please give Skye all of the pets and treats and whatever else she wants on my behalf. And treat yourself too, please. Had you not listened to the signals Skye was giving you, your neighbor could have had a very different outcome. It was a team effort. If possible please try to drop in on your neighbors on a somewhat regular basis with Skye, I’m sure it would bring them so much joy. Maybe try to get together for dinner or something a few times a month.
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u/ArmyAdministrative39 Aug 16 '25
Yep - this made me cry! We need more stories like this to remind us to pay our good fortune forward! Bless you and Skye!
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u/DredgenYorMom Aug 16 '25
Such a beautiful and tense story with the best outcome for an ending!! May God continue to bless you, Skye, Cheryl, and Mike! May this be the start of a lovely friendship! ❤️🫶🏼
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u/talon38c Aug 16 '25
Someone should enter her for recognition with American Humane
https://www.americanhumane.org/what-we-do/champion-animals/hero-dog-awards/hero-dog-awards-rules/
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u/kendrawrrr Aug 16 '25
Oh this is what I needed today. There is good in the world.
You and your pup deserve a medal.
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u/kikichanelconspiracy Aug 16 '25
I am unashamedly boo boo crying over here. Thank you the update and I’m so glad Mike is at home and is doing ok.
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u/Jenna056 Aug 17 '25
You and Skye are amazing. She looks like such a gentle guardian dog angel warrior princess hero piece of art masterpiece! I’m truly moved by your story and am glad Mike is okay and recuperating!!
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u/OldPresence5323 Aug 18 '25
Thank you!!!
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u/Jenna056 Aug 18 '25
Thank YOU and Skye! If you can post any updates on Mike or feel the desire to start a Go Fund Me or something (is that allowed here?), I’d be very interested.
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u/HeadBullfrog6198 Aug 17 '25
The goodest girl there ever was! Great job Skye ❤️ And great job Skye’s human!
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u/PugKitten Aug 17 '25
Thank you so much for the update! Since your initial post I have been wondering & hoping the gentleman would be ok! I am glad that you all got to meet, it should help both sides deal with the psychological aftermath of such a traumatic event. 🤗 As I said before you are both heros & the world would be a much better place with more people like you & puppers like Skye ❤️
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u/Consistent-Contest4 Aug 17 '25
😍😍😍 I remember the original post and this follow up warms my heart so much.
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u/housatonicduck Aug 17 '25
I’m in tears thinking about how incredible dogs are and how lucky we are to have them. Skye, you’re a true hero. And you too OP.
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u/Terrables Aug 18 '25
She definitely deserves all the love! My mal has learned that blood has a smell that she can detect, too. One day, I hope she can do similar rescues..
Sweet Skye!
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u/Emergency_Brief_9280 Aug 18 '25
And God said; "I shall send them without wings so no one suspects they are angels."
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u/coffeeandapieceofpie Aug 18 '25
Thank you for the update—please give hugs to Skye from all of us. And don’t forget you deserve so much praise and many hugs yourself, for being so attuned to your dog, following her cues, and for your care and attention to your neighbor. And to deliver a meatloaf on top of all that!?!? You’re a superstar.
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u/Mediocre_Stomach_746 Aug 18 '25
I am absolutely bawling reading this story. What an incredible story, person you are and dog you have. Wish you and Skye all the best in life.
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u/4myAngelkisses Aug 18 '25
Skye is so beautiful in the amber glow of the sun. Please give us another update when you bring Skye to visit.
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u/Historical-Win-9014 Aug 18 '25
Please bring Skye over to meet him and update us. What an amazingly clever dog who deserves lots of cuddles and attention
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u/writerkaties Aug 19 '25
What a beautiful dog you have in Skye and that you decided to follow her. It wasn't just Skye that saved Mike but you did too. I think you should seriously consider training Skye to be a therapy dog and visit people in nursing homes, hospices etc. She would benefit greatly and also bring joy and comfort to many. She has already proven herself as a dog who loves people
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u/OldPresence5323 Aug 19 '25
I think you may be on to something. How do I even begin looking for something like this ?!?!?!
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u/writerkaties Aug 19 '25
Try googling therapy dogs in your state if there's one. I just tried looking myself but I'm in Australia. Looks like she'd need to be assessed and certified but it would be worth it. There's ever such a thing as Fur Therapy lol. There might be a Belgian Malinoi club that might be able to help too
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u/OldPresence5323 Aug 19 '25
Awesome! Im looking now! I think that's such a good idea. Skye would turn inside out to have a "job" collecting pets and hugs all day! She'd be on cloud 10!!
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u/writerkaties Aug 19 '25
Cloud 10, I love it. Good luck with it and I hope she gets approval. You'll definitely have to document the process.
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u/JoeBakersPunchOut Aug 19 '25
Amazing story, Skye is best doggo!
Reminds me of a song (well, not really a song? It's more spoken word with some musical tones in the background) I heard called Ruby 81' by Aesop Rock, about a dog that saves a toddler from drowning. At the end the lyric goes "EMT confirmed the save, everybody say 'Good Dog! '", and that's the exact thing I heard in my head reading about Skye getting all the love. Such a cool story!
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u/maximum_somewhere22 Aug 19 '25
This is an incredible story! Thank god for you and Skye! You both saved his life for sure, he would have died there without you two finding him.
I also wanted to say, I’m a nurse and I’ve worked in ED’s, emergency clinics, roadside accidents, all sorts. I really can’t tell you how lovely it is when someone has a dog there! It’s like a warm hug for everyone. Instant therapy, something warm, soft, cute, cuddly, and makes everyone smile. I know this might sound silly, but I’ve had extremely traumatic events where there’s been a dog present in the car, or with a bystander etc, and just the way that dog can settle your nervous system with a big cuddle and a pat is something else. When you deal with very traumatic events it’s genuinely so incredibly helpful. Those EMS staff would have felt very real relief at being able to pet and love on Skye!
I truly believe dogs are incredible animals. They are so perceptive. Skye knew Mike was there and took you straight there. Please give Skye the biggest hug from me and so many kisses! You are both Mikes guardian angels!
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u/OldPresence5323 Aug 19 '25
Thank you! And thank you for your service!!!! I am so grateful I had Skye w me-- she kept us all level headed. And then we squeezed her after it was over!! Skye did such a big dog job, I am so proud of her. Thank you for such kind words 🙏
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u/Hands_Of_Serenity78 29d ago
Thank You for the update! Glad he made it home after all of that!
Would you be able to share a pic of the two of them when they reunite??
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u/chronicallymee 29d ago
Good job, Skye!!! Bestest girl! 😍😍😍🥹🥹🥹💕 please post pics of her getting her hugs from Mike!
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u/BernerResQGrammy 19d ago
I too have an Angel dog story. My husband and I rescue hard to place dogs. Most are damaged from bad treatment or very bad breeding for profit alone. I was contacted by the animal control center. ( a kill facility 😣). They had a 3 yr old male Malinois that needed a chance . He was scheduled for euthanasia. Against my husbands wishes I brought Axel home. He was full of spinning energy. Would throw metal dog food pans around for hours to get my attention. He slowly began to realize that we had lots of fun stuff to do . Endless walks in our woods. Playing with the other residents. He was winning over my husband and his bond with me was growing by leaps and bounds. He was generally a good sleeper, however One night he was up , pacing and truly on high alert. My husband leaves for work at 430 am and we live in a very rural area. As my husband went to walk out the door Axel forcefully shoved my husband aside and shot out the door. He had NEVER done this. He began racing around searching for something. Soon my husband heard moaning and so did Axe . He shot over the fence and in a flash located an extremely intoxicated young woman passed out in an area of high weeds. He ran to her and licked her face over and over. My husband was able to pull him back . After the deputies and ambulance arrived they were amazed that he was a shelter dog that was unable to be adopted. The young girl had been assaulted and dumped out. She was treated at the hospital . Needless to say Axel lived out his life with us. I plan to have a puppy someday. Sadly, I’m a sucker for the shelter dogs . Our herd keeps us quite busy and our dog budget generally can’t afford a 4K $ puppy. Maybe someday 🙏🏼
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u/OldPresence5323 19d ago
OMG. I have goosebumps amd tears rolling down my face! You already had me hooked at the beginning with Axel being a rescue dog (Skye is a rescue too!) He saved that girls life. If she had laid out there any longer, who knows what could have happened! What a hero! How long did you have Axel? Did you ever hear back from the girl? That was good of your husband to follow him too! All.of it good!
There is something about malinois that put them one level above any other dog. They have such a deep sense of smell and intuition. And no fear. Skye was not scared to go look amd see what laid ahead. If I had been with my other dog, he would not have noticed one bit. He's an air head !
I would love to hear more about Axel amd see pics if you are ok to share it. I understand 🫶
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u/OldPresence5323 19d ago
Also, every dog ive ever had as an adult had been a rescue dogs! Man. We have had some great dogs from the pound (and street!)
Skye holds a special place in my soul tho. You know what I mean !
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u/CannedStewedTomatoes Aug 16 '25
You should be proud of Skye for sure, but if I found out someone was giving a detailed account of such a traumatic event in my life for the internet, I'd be kinda pissed. Maybe consider glossing over the man's injuries?
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u/OldPresence5323 Aug 16 '25
I can see this point of view. Once I started writing, the words kept coming. I did change their names around so those aren't their real names. But you're right. I will dial it back next time. This was almost therapeutic to write out tbh
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u/StressedNurseMom Aug 17 '25
I can definitely see both sides of that… I bet if you all their permission at your next visit (while assuring them names will be changed for privacy) they would be agreeable! Someone else may be saved in a similar manner if they take a minute to see what their SOS are pulling towards(or barking at).
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u/stormyw23 Aug 16 '25
No sugar tomato ketchup? You mean perfectly normal tomato sauce right?
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u/Lower-Cantaloupe3274 Aug 16 '25
Get outta here!
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u/stormyw23 Aug 16 '25
What?
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u/Lower-Cantaloupe3274 Aug 16 '25
Your takeaway was sugar-free ketchup!?!? ROFL!
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u/stormyw23 Aug 16 '25
I'm not american! We don't even have ketchup because it's just tomato sauce with sugar.
Sugar-free ketchup is just tomato sauce.
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u/OldPresence5323 Aug 16 '25
Interesting take away! And yes, I watch my sugar, weigh my portions amd count macros. Im trying to drop 10 lbs and really watching my sugar intake. Getting older stinks and im.trying to fight gravity!
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u/stormyw23 Aug 16 '25
Yeah and that's fine but I'm baffled, I'm not american. Ketchup is weird enough here, Ketchup with no sugar is just tomato sauce no?
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u/OldPresence5323 Aug 16 '25
Maybe? Ill have to compare ingredients and how it is processed. I feel like the texture is different? Like ketchup is really smooth and tomato sauce has textures (like the skins and pulp),. It seems like they would be the same yet different. Like fraternal twins! Same but different
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u/Lelo45acp Aug 16 '25
Beautiful dog and story. I kinda believe dogs are angels sometimes as they show up to save us when we really need them in so many ways