By Cam Lucadou-Wells
A whippet-smart greyhound has helped save the life of a man who collapsed unconscious in his Berwick home.
Without warning, Ron Hitchen, 76, fell and stopped breathing in his hallway as he was getting ready for bed on 26 March.
His co-tenant Pam Higgins was stirred from bed by her pet greyhound Leena whining at the bedroom door.
“She started making this weird sound. I thought she was in trouble, so I called her but she wouldn’t come to me.
“I got up and had a look, and I found Ron unconscious.”
Ms Higgins, 70, dialled a triple-0 operator who talked her through as she delivered life-saving CPR to Mr Hitchen.
“It was the dog that saved his life.
“Thank God he wasn’t living by himself. No one would have found you.”
Mr Hitchen, who was recovering at Dandenong Hospital, said Leena was the loyalest of companions.
“I think it was bloody wonderful.
“She did something you wouldn’t expect from a dog.
“Her loyalty – there’s nothing that you can think of that’s any better.”
Leena – so named because of her narrow girth – had become a “hero amongst the greyhound world”.
“If it had have been Lassie (the famous Hollywood canine), millions would then believe it.”
Leena and fellow pet greyhound Princess Marilyn had already been celebrities, levering smiles and pats during their visits to aged care homes.
Grateful for his second chance, Mr Hitchen said Leena was set to be rewarded with several meals of roast chicken on his return home.
“I can’t wait until Christmas – she’ll be getting turkey drumsticks.”
