Japanese dog hailed a hero for saving the life of heart attack victim at a riding school

A dog has been hailed as a hero in Japan after she saved the life of a man who was having a heart attack by sounding the alarm with her incessant barking.

Koume, a 5-year-old mongrel, was handed an official letter of appreciation by local fire officials at a special ceremony last month for her valiant work at a horse riding club in Wakaba-ku, Chiba City.

According to the horse riding club, a man in his fifties collapsed at the riding park on February 25. Koume, a usually placid pup, raised the alarm with her barks which then allowed people to rush to the man's aid.

"Koume is usually quiet and barks only under rare circumstances," Yuna Maruo, a 23-year-old riding instructor who took part in saving the man that day, said. "But when an emergency arises, Koume does bark."

The Wakaba Fire Department said life saving treatment can be given to heart attack victims if people are alert to "the slightest change."

"Koume's action in calling for help and the staff's actions were a perfect response," a fire department official said.

According to the club, Koume's barks enabled staff to quickly call an ambulance and paramedics used an automated external defibrillator on the rider just in time.