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A golden retriever named Polly, aged four and living in County Fermanagh, is set to be celebrated as a “CPR hero” in London this Tuesday. Polly’s owners, Adam and Hannah Cooke from Ballinamallard, firmly believe their dog played a critical role in saving Adam’s life after he experienced a cardiac arrest during sleep last year. It was Polly’s persistent barking that alerted Hannah to the emergency, prompting her to discover Adam breathing unevenly before he stopped altogether. Acting quickly, Hannah administered CPR until the arrival of paramedics, ultimately preserving Adam’s life.
Hannah, a social services worker, recounts how the night seemed ordinary until Polly’s barking just before 1 a.m. roused her from sleep. She initially suspected Adam was choking, but when he ceased breathing, she recognized the gravity of the situation. Recalling her experience as a carer who had witnessed end-of-life signs, she described Adam’s breathing as something unforgettable. “If anyone has heard it, you’ll never hear anything like it,” she said.
On the ambulance journey to the hospital, paramedics used a defibrillator to shock Adam seven times, and he woke up six days later. At just 37 years old and an avid runner, Adam was eventually diagnosed with dilated cardiomyopathy. He was fitted with an Implantable Cardioverter Defibrillator (ICD), a device designed to regulate heart rhythms through electrical shocks. After spending weeks in recovery, Adam was reunited with Polly. “Polly is a part of the family, so I just wasn’t shocked when I heard she had such a big role to play,” he said, describing their reunion as emotional and tearful. Hannah added that Polly appeared to sense the emergency even before it fully unfolded, remarking on how the dog’s barking coincided with the very start of Adam’s cardiac arrest.
Adam nominated both his wife and dog for the British Heart Foundation’s annual Heart Hero awards, although Polly was unable to attend the London event in person. Instead, her CPR medal was presented at her favourite walking spot. Fearghal McKinney of the British Heart Foundation highlighted the importance of learning CPR, noting the stark statistics behind out-of-hospital cardiac arrests in the UK. “For every minute that passes after a cardiac arrest the chances of survival decrease by up to 10 per cent,” he said, emphasizing how immediate intervention can save lives. Adam remains deeply grateful, describing both Hannah and Polly as his heroes and crediting them with his survival.
Dog behaviourist Louise Glazebrook commented on the remarkable abilities pets like Polly can possess, observing that many owners underestimate their dogs’ perceptiveness. She explained that dogs have around 220 million scent receptors compared to humans’ five million, enabling them to detect subtle cues that humans often miss. “This is incredible that Polly managed to save a life and change the trajectory of that life forever,” Glazebrook said. Despite the sudden attention, Polly enjoys being in the spotlight. Adam humorously remarked that, in Polly’s mind, she remains the top priority of the family—even with their son and another child on the way—while Hannah admitted that Polly effectively rules the household
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