A crowd gathered inside the Brookdale Senior Living Community in Novi, to honor 14-year-old terrier Max the dog.
He may be small, and a little old, but Max is credited with saving a life inside the senior housing complex.
"It was one o'clock in the morning and I was sleeping,” said his owner Ray Overall who woke up to Max’s relentless barking this past March. "I was going to roll over and go back to sleep and he kept barking."
That noise alerted Ray to a neighbor in distress.
"I heard, faintly, above me, help, help, help, help about four times."
Turns out the woman who lives above Ray was having a diabetic medical emergency. She fell to the ground and it was Max the dog who heard her.
"As a result of Max waking him up, Ray Overall was able to call for the immediate care of the patient above,” said Novi Public Safety Director David Molloy.
That woman was rescued by first responders and saved.
“It’s a good testament to dog as man's best friend, which certainly played out here,” said Molloy.
Both Max and Ray received special awards from the Novi Police Department as their swift action to save a neighbor was recognized.
