A dog whose owner was having a seizure saved his life by calling the emergency services and barking down the line to raise the alarm.

Joe Stalnaker adopted German shepherd Buddy as an eight-week-puppy and trained him to use the phone if he began to have an attack.

Mr Stalnaker, of Scottsdale, Arizona, has suffered seizures for ten years after suffering a head injury during a military training exercise.

So when he got into difficulties, Buddy knew exactly what to do – hit the speed-dial button on the phone for 911.

On the tape of his call, he can be heard whimpering and barking after the operator answers and repeatedly asks if the caller needs help.

Police were sent to Mr Stalnaker’s home, and after about three minutes Buddy can be heard barking loudly when the officers arrived.

Sergeant Mark Clark, of Scottsdale police, said Mr Stalnaker spent two days in a hospital and recovered from the seizure.

“It’s pretty incredible,” Sgt Clark said.

“Even the veteran dispatchers – they haven’t heard of anything like this.”

Mr Stalnaker’s address is flagged in the force’s computer system with a notification that a trained dog might call 911 when the owner was incapacitated.

Sgt Clark said Buddy has made two other 911 calls when Mr Stalnaker was having seizures.

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