Injured Cyclist Kept Alive By The Body Warmth Of A Dog

A cyclist who crashed his bike in the middle of nowhere has a faithful dog to thank for the fact that he is still alive.

Martin Ion was kept alive by the body heat of a stray dog that stuck by him after he broke his collarbone and dislocated his hip following the crash in western Romania's Semenic Mountains.

He would have succumbed to severe hypothermia had the dog not done him a solid. He was unable to stand and had to lie on the cold ground until he could be reached by medical help.

Luckily for Martin, the doggo - who had been accompanying him on his ride, running alongside - wouldn't leave him to die and stuck by his side until he was rescued.

The paramedics who arrived on the scene said: "When we arrived, the dog didn't leave his side and remained there until the ambulance arrived."

Eventually, Martin was able to be taken to the orthopaedic unit of the Timisoara County Emergency Hospital where he was treated for his broken bones and dislocated hip.

Martin explained: "I missed a hole on the trail, didn't see it and it threw me right off and I couldn't move. That's when he also stopped moving and sat beside me."

Since the accident, the dog has been adopted by a guy called Ionut Mihai Popovici, a public official. He has been given the name Max by his new owner.

I mean, we just don't deserve dogs, do we?

Paula Godwin was out walking Todd - her dog - and another canine chum when she was nearly set upon by a venomous snake. Todd spotted the danger and jumped right into the danger zone, copping quite a large bite for his troubles.

The golden retriever was very ill for a while there, but he is now recovered and back in good health.

Conclusive proof, as if any were needed, that dogs are the best friends that humans can have.

I mean, you might like your cat an awful lot, but is it going to stay around if you're on the verge of freezing to death in the Romanian mountains? Is it going to dive between your legs and a lunging rattlesnake? I suspect not.

It'll probably lose interest in you, then wander off and start licking its balls.