Hearing dog Henry is a lifesaver for Telford family
They say that dogs are a man's best friend and one Shropshire man may not be here today if it wasn't for his beloved pooch.
Elaine and Stephen Starkey, from Madeley in Telford, welcomed Goldendoodle Henry into the family three years ago, as a hearing dog for Elaine, who is profoundly deaf.
Often described as a "lifesaver" by Elaine, five-year-old Henry became a real hero earlier this year when he saved Stephen from a near fatal nose bleed.
The couple, who have been married for 38 years and have two children, Richard, 26, and Laura, 24, were given Henry in 2010 from the Hearing Dogs for the Deaf charity after applying in 2008.
Elaine says she "could not cope without him".
No more so than on June 20 this year when while at home Steven, 59, suffered from a traumatic nose bleed which left him unable to move.
The bleeding was so severe Stephen couldn't stop it and so he got the attention of Henry, a specially trained dog and using the command known as 'the call', he asked Henry to alert Elaine who was fast asleep without her hearing aids in.
Henry bolted upstairs before using both paws in an assertive drag to wake Elaine and drag her out of bed, taking her straight to where Steven lay in a downstairs toilet.
Elaine, who communicates by lip reading, said: "First thing I knew, Henry was almost digging his claws into my arm to wake me up, which isn't usual. He's normally very gentle."
Henry bounded downstairs and lay at Stephens's feet. When Elaine got to her husband's side she called for a paramedic.
It took three ambulance crew members to attempt to stop the loss of blood and Stephen was rushed to A&E.
Later, doctors told the couple that if Henry had not alerted Elaine, it was likely that Stephen would have passed out and choked on his own blood. The consequences could have been fatal.
Elaine added: "Henry is very sensitive; he is never far away from me and after Stephen's scare he didn't leave his side for four days."
The couple are extremely thankful and as a result of their inspiring bond, Elaine and Henry won the Specsavers Heroic Partnership of the Year award at the Hearing Dogs Awards 2013 this month.
The whole family attended the awards ceremony where Elaine, Henry and Steven received an accolade presented by Ben Fogle, whose father Bruce Fogle founded the charity over 30 years ago.
Elaine, 58, added: "I can't cope without Henry. He has moved me out of the way of a lorry that was bleeping before it started to reverse."
Henry has also taken away the stress of busy public areas. Elaine said: "I have a lot of hospital visits and he takes away the stress of not being able to hear people calling out my name. Until you see him in action you don't realise how valuable he is.
"He is so clever, if three alarms go at the same time, perhaps the doorbell, the phone and the cooker, he will prioritise them and lead me to the most important."
