He broke his neck in the snow, but his dog stayed by his side — and saved his life

When the ball dropped on the New Year in 2017, a Michigan man was in his backyard in the snow, with his dog by his side, fighting for his life.

Bob, who asked media outlets not to use his last name for privacy reasons, was in his pajamas watching college football on Dec. 31, when, around 10:30 p.m., he left the house to get another log for his fireplace, according to the Petoskey News-Review. Not thinking he would be outside long, he didn’t put on a jacket.

But in the cold snow, Bob, who is 64 years old, slipped, fell and broke his neck. Unable to move, he began yelling for help. But his nearest neighbor was a quarter of a mile away, according to CBS News.

The only one to respond was his dog, Kelsey, a golden retriever, who came out and began to bark for help, according to the Today Show. But even if anyone had heard the dog, they may not have even responded, according to Bob’s wife, who was away at the time.

“She’s a barker anyway,” Bob’s wife, Jenny, told the Today Show.

The temperature dipped below freezing and into the low 20s overnight, as Bob continued to yell and Kelsey kept barking. By morning, Bob’s voice was gone, he said, and he was starting to lose consciousness.

Kelsey, who had been keeping her owner warm by lying on top of him and licking his hands and face, began to paw at him, desperate to keep him awake.

“He has marks on his arms from her pawing at him when he was losing consciousness," the man’s daughter, Jenny, said. "It was like, she knew that he had to stay awake because if he fell asleep he wouldn’t wake up again."

Eventually, however, Bob did lose consciousness. His neighbor finally discovered him at 6:30 p.m. on Jan. 1. By that time, Kelsey had been with her owner for 20 hours and was still barking, according to the neighbor.

Bob was taken to McLaren Northern Michigan Hospital, where doctors discovered that his core body temperature was under 70 degrees. Hypothermia typically sets in when the body’s temperature drops below 95 degrees, according to the Mayo Clinic.

But amazingly, Bob did not have any frostbite. In a statement, the hospital attributed that in part to Kelsey’s body heat and presence.

After an emergency surgery went well, Bob began to move his extremities, “miraculously,” according to the neurosurgeon who operated on him, Dr. Chaim Colen.

While Bob will stay have to undergo months of physical therapy, he is in good spirits and is expected to make a full recovery, the hospital said.

“I am so thankful for my two heroes,” Bob said. “Kelsey kept me warm, alert, and never stopped barking for help. Dr. Colen saved my life and ability to move. They are truly heroes and I will be eternally grateful.”

This story was originally published January 14, 2017 at 3:33 PM with the headline "He broke his neck in the snow, but his dog stayed by his side — and saved his life."