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Dog who led police to unconscious owner credited with saving woman’s life

Posted at 3:39 PM, Feb 14, 2015
and last updated 2015-02-14 17:42:15-05

By Julie Collins

Germantown, WI (WITI) -- Thanks to man's best friend and some quick police work, a Germantown woman is alive.

Early Friday morning, February 13th, John Boy, a black labrador, was found running around the Autumn Ridge neighborhood off of County Line Rd. in Germantown.

"He stood there and barked a little bit, then I rolled down my window and called to him. Then he wagged his tail and got more friendly until I got out of my car. And then he ran a little bit," said Jeff Gonzalez of the Germantown Police Department.

John Boy had a plan for the officer.

"In a roundabout way, yeah, he sure did. He pointed me in the right direction," said Gonzalez.

John Boy led the officer up the street to a house where his owner, Krystal, was unresponsive — slumped over in a chair outside her front door, still in her pajamas.

"To be honest with you, I thought she was dead. And when I went up, she was very cold to the touch; her lips were blue. But I was able to determine she was breathing and had a pulse. I called for assistance and my partner was close. So together we got her in the house," said Gonzalez.

Minutes later, Krystal's daughter and sister received the emotional call.

"Basically what he told me was, he said that they thought that she was dead. So it's hard," said Tianne Wendt, Krystal's daughter.

But thanks to John Boy's loyalty, the daughter's tears are tears of joy.

Krystal does have a heart condition. She remains in the hospital where doctors are running tests. But her daughter tells FOX6 News she's stable and looking forward to meeting Officer Gonzalez when she gets home.

As for John Boy, he was adopted and returned three times by different families before ending up at Krystal's home. Her daughter says it was meant to be.

Visit FOX 13 News sister station WITI FOX 6 for local coverage of the story and updates.