Pooch hailed a hero after rescuing assault victim

The man collapsed outside Lisa Kelley’s home in Hindley at around 1.30am last Saturday morning after apparently being attacked following a night out.

But with nobody around in the early hours to even see him collapse, he would almost certainly been left fighting for his life on the cold street for hours.

That is until Truffle, the Cavalier King Charles Spaniel, came to his aid by alerting owner Lisa to the perilous situation.

“I was woken by Truffle barking over and over downstairs. It was an unusual bark he hadn’t done before,” Lisa said.

“He then came upstairs, nudging me and making a strange noise.”

The 47-year-old counsellor and therapist said it was peculiar behaviour from the usually timid two-year-old pooch, especially as the other three dogs in her house - also spaniels - made no sound.

“It was as if he was trying to tell me something,” said Lisa.

“He began to whine and ran downstairs barking again, so I woke my husband.”

The couple went outside to discover the semi-conscious man - who has not yet been identified - lying on the floor. He had allegedly been attacked on his way home from the pub.

Having sustained head injuries and subsequently collapsing on their path, the couple quickly called an ambulance, which took the man to A&E.

“He would have been dead if we didn’t find him,” Lisa added.

She shared the tale of Truffle’s heroic deed on a spaniel-dedicated Facebook page, and the post quickly spread.

“It’s gone worldwide!” said a beaming Lisa.

Comments flooded in from as far away as America. One lady from Massachusetts wrote: “Truffle the superhero. Way to go sweetie. Paws and licks from Remington in the USA.”

Another from Pennsylvania posted: “What a hero, give him a big bone.”

“Sending you hugs from Columbia Falls, Maine, USA,” was yet another comment that highlighted just how far Truffle’s story had travelled.

Some even urged Lisa to nominate her beloved pooch for the Dickin Medal.

But sadly, there’s a reason the award is known as “the Victoria Cross for animals” - it is only presented to animals for gallantry or devotion to duty while serving during a military conflict.