Blackpool dog with super-hearing saved her owner's life during South Shore blaze

David Salisbury was woken by his Yorkshire Terrier at 5:30am on Thursday morning. The dog, called Tiny, had been barking at a carbon monoxide alarm downstairs, but the faint noise hadn’t alerted 88 year old David.

He said the three year old pooch saved his life.

"She’s got super hearing, any kind of noise will set her off but as I’m a bit hard of hearing I didn’t register it.”

As he woke he noticed a very thin veil of smoke, so he opened the bedroom window. He went downstairs to check the kitchen, thinking he may have left something on the gas hob.

David was struggling to breathe, and his chest was feeling increasingly tight. He realised that the faint ringing sound was coming from a carbon monoxide detector, which he’d had fitted but had never checked what it sounded like.

Carbon monoxide (CO) is an incredibly poisonous gas that poses a serious threat to health if exposure occurs. It can’t be detected by smell, taste or sight, and is known as ‘the silent killer’.

“I realised there must be carbon monoxide around, so I called the fire brigade. I went out to open the side gate in case they needed to get round the back, and then I saw thick clouds of black smoke pouring out of the flat next door. Front and back.”

The retired electrical design engineer was checked over by medics at the scene, his chest felt very tight and he was in shock. He watched as the fire brigade bash down the front door to put out the fire in, what he’d thought to be, an empty shop.

David had moved to the flat on Harrington Avenue three years ago, after losing his wife.

So he was shocked when the firefighters told him he’d been living next door to a cannabis farm.

Around 120 plants were found in the upper floors where they had been growing under powerful lights.

“It was a very sophisticated set up. There had been an electrical overload, because they’d bypassed the meter. There were rows of sockets all fixed on the wall, there were extract fans, and a water storage tank in the loft.

“I just couldn’t believe that someone had put my life at risk, with no thought for the consequences. These people are ruthless.”

David had never suspected what was going on next door, which he’d assumed to be empty since he moved in.

But he remembered seeing some men who appeared to be doing some construction work in the building, around three months ago.

“They were taking out some rubbish, and they told me they were going to start letting the place out as offices. I heard a lot of banging about but I thought nothing of it.”

Part of the set up had been a noisy extractor fan, which had been fixed on the other side of the wall to David’s kitchen. He suspects this is why his faithful Yorkie, Tiny 2, had started feeling anxious in the room where she used to sleep.

The three year old terrier had sensitive hearing and was often upset by strange noises.

“I used to say ‘it’s beddy byes’ and Tiny would go into her little bed in the kitchen, but she changed. She’d just slump under the kitchen table, or refuse to move.”

After a couple of weeks, the doting dog owner let his companion sleep in the bedroom, and she was back to her normal self.

“If she hadn’t started sleeping in the bedroom I don’t think I’d have survived. You can’t smell carbon monoxide, and there’s no way I’d have heard that alarm. She really is my hero.”

David was taken to Blackpool Victoria hospital to be checked for carbon monoxide poisoning, but was discharged the same day.

His flat is currently not safe to go back to, and he is living with his daughter and son-in-law on Old House Lane.

“If my daughter couldn’t have put me up then I’d have been stuck. I’m not allowed back into the flat, and it’s been quite traumatic. All these thoughts go through your mind.

“It may all need replastering as the carbon monoxide has impregnated the walls.”

David has had 14 dogs, and got his first one when he was five.

He said Tiny has settled into their temporary home, and has made friends with next door’s golden retriever.

And he took Tiny on a special trip to Stanley Park dog club, where they go most Wednesdays, and was presented with a card signed by all their friends.

“I’ve still got an achy chest, and I feel a bit wobbly but I’m lucky to be alive.”

Severe exposure to carbon monoxide impairs the ability for blood to carry oxygen around the body, leading to illness, tissue and cell failure and, from long term exposure, potential paralysis and brain damage.

Symptoms include headache, dizziness, breathlessness, nausea, vision and memory loss, confusion and chest pain.

Cadent Gas recommends that you test the ‘beep’ on your carbon monoxide detector once a week, and pay attention to any ‘chirps’ that may indicate low battery.

Aim to have an alarm on every level of your home, and buy a recognised brand with an audible alarm, rather than the colour-changing or patch test detectors.