Jeannette, a dog trainer for Hearing Dogs for Deaf People, took Watson in last July. Her role was to train Watson to recognize and respond to important sounds like doorbells, smoke alarms, and his name before he was paired with a deaf person.

A few days ago, upon returning home with Watson, Jeannette felt unwell and sat down on the sofa. Watson, sitting at her feet, nudged her knee repeatedly and ran to the door, seemingly trying to pull her outside. "He did this 5 or 6 times," she said.

Watson the dog next to Jeannette. Photo: *Tom Powell*

This was how Watson was trained to alert his owner to important sounds. However, this time, there were no sounds and no one at the door.

"I don't understand how he knew I was in mortal danger," Jeannette said. "Detecting a heart attack isn't part of his training."

Ignoring Watson's persistent warnings, Jeannette tried to go upstairs to rest and wait for her partner. But Watson was relentless. He blocked her path and even barked at her.

Then the dog ran to the back garden and barked so loudly that a neighbor came to investigate. Finding Jeannette in a weakened state, the neighbor immediately called an ambulance. Fortunately, an ambulance was nearby and arrived quickly.

"Watson nudged the neighbor just like he signals his owner when there's a sound, as if asking for help," Jeannette said.

Jeannette was diagnosed with a heart attack and received a stent within an hour of the onset of symptoms. She recovered quickly and was even able to have tea with her family in the recovery room shortly after surgery.

"The doctors told me I arrived at the hospital within the 'golden hour' of having a heart attack; if I had been any later, the damage would have been much worse. I still can't explain how he knew I was in danger," she said.

For Jeannette, Watson is not just a trainee dog but also a lifesaver. "If Watson hadn't been there, if he hadn't barked, if my neighbor hadn't been home, I probably would have stayed upstairs and never woken up," she told the media on 27/7.

In the next few weeks, Watson will officially be paired with a deaf person to fulfill his mission. While acknowledging this is inevitable, Jeannette admits that parting with Watson after everything will be incredibly difficult.

"He will always be in our hearts," she said.

Nhat Minh (*Mirror*)