In what could have been Darren Cropper’s final moments, his one-year-old puppy, Bear, became a hero. After Cropper suffered a massive heart attack, Bear saved his life by jumping on his chest. The puppy’s instinctive actions kept Cropper alive until help arrived.

The late August 2022 incident began when Cropper, 57, a retired Canadian Forces weapons specialist, woke up in the middle of the night, not feeling well. “Once I’m up, I’m up,” Cropper said, explaining that he couldn’t go back to sleep. He made himself a coffee and headed downstairs to watch TV. He never made it.

Darren and his dog, Bear. Photo courtesy of the Cropper family

After stepping on the bottom step, everything went black. The next thing he recalls was Bear howling and jumping on his chest. Cropper’s wife, Janice, 59, and their son, Matthew, 29, were woken up by Bear’s frantic howls. They followed the sound to the basement, where they found Cropper lying unconscious on the floor. Janice immediately called 911.

Cropper was rushed to a nearby hospital and then transferred to a cardiac unit, where doctors performed open heart surgery. They discovered his arteries had shut down. The paramedics who attended Cropper said Bear must have been jumping on his chest for hours, effectively performing CPR.

Darren (right) and Janice Cropper with their puppy Bear. When the pup was a year-old he performed Puppy CPR and saved Darren from a heart attack. Photo courtesy of the Cropper family

“If Bear hadn’t jumped on my chest, I wouldn’t be alive,” said Cropper. “He did Puppy CPR and got my blood flowing. No one taught him that, but both his parents were service dogs. I guess it’s in him.”

Bear, a half Siberian Husky and half Golden Retriever mix, is adored by the Cropper family. His striking appearance includes a multi-colored coat and mismatched eyes — one crystal blue, the other dark brown. Known for his playful yet strong nature, Bear enjoys running through the woods on the family’s property, always tethered to the heavy-duty leash Cropper made for him.

During Cropper’s recovery, video calls with Bear became a lifeline. “He saw me on the video and just went nuts!” Cropper said, smiling. It was Cropper who later contacted Purina’s Animal Hall of Fame to share Bear’s story. The Hall of Fame, which has honored 194 animals for acts of bravery since 1968, inducts just two animals each year.

Bear is one of the 2024 inductees, along with a Labrador Retriever named Maggie May, who saved his owner during a medication-induced hallucination. Next week, Bear and Cropper will attend a special event in Toronto, where Bear will receive his hero medal. “My wife calls him our Care Bear. I call him my Hero Puppy,” Cropper said, full of gratitude for the pup that saved his life. “If it wasn’t for Bear, I wouldn’t be here,” he added. “I’ll never be able to repay him.”

Sources: North Bay Nugget | National Post