Arizona HVAC Worker on the Job Saves 60-Lb. Blind Bulldog After Pet Falls Into Backyard Pool

Malone is an English bulldog who is 10 1/2 years old and blind in one eye

An English bulldog in Arizona lives another day thanks to the heroic efforts of a serviceman.

Malone is a 10 1/2-year-old, 60-lb. dog who is blind in one eye. She unexpectedly fell into a backyard pool when her owner, Kim Slaughter, was not looking.

Slaughter told KPHO-TV that she and her family were staying at her parent's home while their new home was being built. Apart from being in a different environment, the family also had to deal with temperatures being in the 30s.

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Slaughter's parents needed to get their heaters fixed due to the weather and called for the help of the Donley Service Center, which is based in Phoenix.

Serviceman Hunter Hitchens had been at the home all morning when the incident occurred. He was walking down the stairs when he noticed Slaughter's son's girlfriend outside, panicking.

"I saw the panic set on her face, and the dog got out of her arms and started floating to the middle of the pool. By the time I hit the back door, I already had the jacket off [and was] about to take the second one off because I knew either I had to go in or she had to go in," he told KPHO-TV.

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Hitchens told KENS-TV that Slaughter's son's girlfriend was by the water trying to lift Malone out when she "got out of her arms and started floating to the middle of the pool." He then went over to the pool's edge and laid on his chest, extending his arms.

"She barely had her nose above the water. I think she saw me even though she's blind. She wiggled to me and I grabbed her by the back of the neck," he told KENS-TV.

Slaughter told KPHO-TV that they usually don't let Malone out without a leash or someone watching her. While she told the outlet that they've never had an issue having her by a pool, she noted that her parents' home didn't have a pool fence.

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"I'm just thankful for that that he was here, there was somebody who loved pets as much as we do. A lot of people don't realize how important they are," Slaughter said.

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