PHOENIX — An Arizona family is forever thankful for the serviceman who saved their blind dog.
The rescue happened on a cold morning after their beloved dog fell into the backyard pool and struggled to get out.
"Here you go Princess," said Kim Slaughter, the dog's owner.
This English bulldog is the queen of the house. Malone is ten and a half years old, blind in one eye and the family believes also in the other.
"For a bulldog she's a super senior," said Kim.
Kim and her family are staying at her parents house in Queen Creek while their house is being built. Her parents' heat hasn't been working, so Hunter with Donley's Service Center was over trying to fix it early in the morning when he noticed something strange in the backyard.
"In my mind I was like why is she giving her a bath right now," said Hunter Hitchens, worker who saved the dog. "I don't understand."
Temps were in the 30s and as he stepped outside...
"I saw her face of panic," said Hunter. "By the time I hit the back door, I already had the jacket off about to take the second one off, because I knew either I had to go in or she had to go in."
Malone had fallen into the pool and was struggling to keep her head above water. Kim's son's girlfriend was by the water trying to lift the sixty pound bulldog out.
"The dog got out of her arms and started floating to the middle of the pool," said Hunter.
That's when Hunter moved to the pool's edge quickly, laying on his chest with his arms out.
"She barely had her nose above the water," said Hunter. "I think she saw me even though she's blind. She wiggled to me and I grabbed her by the back of the neck."
He was able to reach his arms down into the water and hoist her out. Hunter was there to save the heaters and saved malone as well.
"I'm just thankful for that that he was here, there was somebody who loved pets as much as we do," said Kim. "A lot of people don't realize how important they are."
The family says they normally don't let Malone outside without a leash, but will be paying extra attention to her going forward.
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