Rescue dog saves new owner's life, waking him during medical emergency

(KVAL) — A man is lucky to be alive Wednesday and it's all because of his dog, Jack.

Tom Braun says Jack saved his life while he was asleep - and choking.

Braun's life was saved during a very unusual medical incident in the middle of the night.

"I kind of had this dream like I was choking, then I felt this nudge on my T-shirt. Then he started barking really loud. And I woke up and I had blood all down my mouth and shirt,” said Braun.

He says it's from previous periodontal work done in his mouth.

“The bleeding was coming from behind my teeth. A blood vessel had opened up, up there,” said Braun.

If it wasn't for Jack, Braun says, he wasn't sure if he'd wake up.

He lives alone in his home in Eugene. And his neighbors are occasionally looking out for him to make sure he's ok.

"Luckily, Tom got taken to the hospital right away and Jack came over my house where he spent the next 48 hours while his dad was getting treated at the hospital," said Eli Holmes, Braun’s next door neighbor.

Before Tom, Jack was originally adopted and returned three times to animal rescue facility, Lucky Paws, because of his hyper-ness. But that wasn't the story Wednesday for this year-and-a-half-old pup, as he sat relaxed and poised for an interview.

Jack was asked how it felt to save a life and he responded with a lick and a handshake.

"I've had several friends over the years that were awakened by their dog when they're having a medical emergency. I highly recommend having a dog if you're my age and live alone," said Braun.

“I think (it's important) just having a plan in place. Just having each other's contact info - we know how to contact each other," said Holmes.