Dog, named Baby, saves baby

2006-01-06 14:22

Taipei - A female husky puppy saved the life of a Taiwanese newborn by snatching him out of the toilet after his mother gave birth alone at home and collapsed, a social worker said on Friday.

The 24-year-old single mother, identified only as Huang, did not feel well on Sunday and went to the bathroom. She did not realise that she was in labour as the baby was not due for another five days, said the social worker.

The woman gave birth to a baby boy into the toilet and managed to cut the umbilical cord with a small pair of scissors before collapsing on the floor, too weak to call for help from her roommate, she said.

But her faithful dog, named Baby, snatched up the infant's leg with her mouth and rescued him from drowning, said the social worker, holding the baby in her arms as the dog paced around at their temporary shelter in a charity home in Kaohsiung, southern Taiwan.

"The dog approached her owner, who was lying on the ground in a pool of blood, and saw the infant... she snatched up the baby's leg with her mouth and rescued him from drowning," she said.

When the boy finally breathed and cried out after the dog licked him on the face, Huang managed to call for help.

Doctors said both the mother and infant were healthy.

However, due to financial difficulties, the mother was giving both her baby boy and the life-saving 10-month-old dog away for adoption, said the social worker.

- AFP