Aug 11

Aug 11 Veteran Reunited With Pet Who Got Him Help During Emergency

By Sharon Danquah and Sydney Basden, WCTI Staff

NEW BERN, Craven County (WCTI) — A Navy Veteran living by himself on a houseboat in Oriental turned to his pet for help during an emergency recently, the duo was finally reunited on Friday.

Rudy Armstrong says he normally keeps to himself and mostly spends time with his dog Boo-Boo, so when things went wrong, he turned to her.

What started off as a normal day for the 86-year-old veteran in his houseboat quickly turned into an emergency situation.

I sat down in my chair, drank my coffee, and the next thing I know it was after lunch," he recalled, "and I couldn’t even get my hand to move and my foot wouldn’t move.

Armstrong says he was having a stroke and could not reach his phone, so he turned to his chihuahua and best friend Boo-Boo.

I didn’t want to be there for a couple of days before somebody would come by," he said, "so I said, ‘Ok Boo-Boo, go get me some help.'

Boo-Boo led the Dockmaster to Armstrong, allowing Armstrong to get the help he needed by paramedics at staff at CarolinaEast. On Friday, five days after Armstrong says his dog saved his life, he and man's best friend were finally reunited.