Guide Dog Saves Trainers from Being Run Over by Out-of-Control Car
A guide dog saved the lives of two trainers last Monday after he alerted them to a runaway car that was barreling towards them on the sidewalk.
Todd Jurek, a veteran training supervisor at Guide Dogs for the Blind in San Rafael, California, was accompanying apprentice instructor Danielle Alvarado on a field test of guide-dog-in-training O'Neil.
As the three were walking down Fourth Street, O'Neil, an 18-month-old yellow Labrador, suddenly jerked his head back.
Seeing the dog stop and look back, Jurek says he glanced behind him to see what was distracting the canine.
What he saw was a black car driving in reverse, heading straight towards them.
Jurek quickly grabbed Alvarado, who was blindfolded, and pulled her and O'Neil around the corner with seconds to spare.
All three were unharmed.
Amazingly, so was the car's 93-year-old driver and her passenger.
Police are still investigating the incident, but have already called for the driver to undergo a reexamination at the DMV.
As for O'Neil, he still needs to pass his final test, but Jurek expects him to do just fine.
"You can't train a dog for such a dramatic incident," he said, adding that O'Neil will likely find a home within the next two to three weeks.
