Service dog throws himself into a bus’ path to protect his blind owner

Figo, the service dog, cares far more about his blind owner than he does about himself. He threw himself between a mini school bus and his owner to save her life. In doing so, he took the brunt of the hit and his leg was cut to the bone. Figo had surgery and a leg splint put on him. His owner, Audrey Stone, suffered a broken ankle, elbow, ribs and a head wound. All she could think of was Figo and was screaming for him when it happened. All Figo could think of was Audrey and he painfully pulled himself to her side after the accident and wouldn’t leave her. What ticks me off is they didn’t allow them to ride together in the ambulance, but they will both be okay.


Figo, a service dog injured while trying to protect its owner from being hit
by a mini school bus, is seen in this screenshot from MyFoxNY. (WNYW MyFoxNY)

From Fox News:

BREWSTER, N.Y. – A service dog threw himself in front of a mini school bus to try to protect his blind owner and stayed by her side as emergency responders tended to the injured pair, authorities said.

Both Figo, the golden retriever, and his owner, Audrey Stone, were on the mend Tuesday, a day after the collision with the mini school bus in Brewster.

Police photos of Monday’s crash showed fur stuck to the bus’ front wheel, according to the Journal News (http://lohud.us/1drjicn ).

“The dog took a lot of the blow,” Brewster Police Chief John Del Gardo said. “And he did not want to leave her side. He stood right with her. He was there to save her.”

The driver said he didn’t see the pair crossing the road. He was given a summons for failing to yield to a pedestrian. The two kindergarteners on the bus weren’t injured.

Paul Schwartz, who manages a gas station at the intersection, ran over to help.

“The dog didn’t want to leave her side,” Schwartz said. “He was flopping over to her, and she didn’t want him to get away from her, either. She kept screaming” Figo’s name, said Schwartz. “We kept telling her he was fine.”

“He let us wrap up his leg without any problem. He wasn’t barking or crying or yelping. But he kept pulling toward her,” Schwartz said.

The dog wasn’t allowed in the ambulance; he was taken to the veterinarian in a fire vehicle. Figo and Stone were both visibly upset by the separation, Schwartz said.

Stone, 62, suffered a broken ankle, elbow and ribs and a head wound and was still hospitalized Tuesday in Danbury, Connecticut, the police chief said.

Figo underwent surgery and has a leg splint. Schwartz said Figo’s leg was cut down to the bone. He’ll remain at a veterinary hospital until Stone is able to care for him.

The driver was taken off duty while an investigation is conducted. The review will include dashboard cameras in the minibus and another bus that was in the area at the time, according to Steven Moskowitz, Brewster’s assistant superintendent for human resources and technology.

The driver said he did not see them crossing the road – he had two kindergarteners in that bus and obviously was not paying attention. The dashboard cameras should tell the tale and whether he gets fired or not. The children are fine. All dogs love their owners. Usually, their love for their owner goes far beyond caring for their own lives and this is especially true for a service dog. They become one with the owner. Figo is a good dog and probably saved Audrey’s life. He never even gave a thought to his own. He can’t come home till he is all better because Audrey is still very banged up herself. I’m sure there will be a massive celebration when they are reunited and much love, hugs and tears. And maybe even a bark, but definitely tail wagging.

Terresa Monroe-Hamilton

Terresa Monroe-Hamilton is an editor and writer for Right Wing News. She owns and blogs at NoisyRoom.net. She is a Constitutional Conservative and NoisyRoom focuses on political and national issues of interest to the American public. Terresa is the editor at Trevor Loudon's site, New Zeal - trevorloudon.com. She also does research at KeyWiki.org. You can email Terresa here. NoisyRoom can be found on Facebook and on Twitter.

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