Heroic Dog Alerts Owner To Woman Found Freezing On Sidewalk

Gozier the dog and her dad, Dan DiCandilo, go out for a walk every morning no matter the weather. But last month, Gozier became a lifesaver.

DiCandilo has had Gozier since she was a puppy, and their daily routine is something they never miss. “We walk five miles a day, every day, and we’ve been doing that for nine years,” DiCandilo told
WRIC ABC 8News. “Gozier is the child we’ve never had.”

On this particular February morning, however, DiCandilo wasn’t so keen. It was a chilly 15 degrees (-9C) in Ashland, Virginia, and he probably would have stayed inside if Gozier hadn’t sat at the door looking out the window, ready to go.

So he bundled up and they headed out. About 20 minutes into their walk, Gozier suddenly stopped and began to bark — but not in her familiar way.

“The bark was a different bark in that it had a little bit of a cry to it,” DiCandilo said. “I tried to pull her. I said, ‘Come on, Gozier, let’s go,’ and she resisted.”

Instead, Gozier was looking at what appeared to be a pile of snow on the sidewalk. Except it wasn’t — it was an elderly woman in a white robe without shoes, gloves, or a hat. She blended into the snowy sidewalk, and if Gozier hadn’t alerted DiCandilo, he likely would not have seen her at all.

DiCandilo could tell the woman was barely moving and was really struggling. He immediately called 911. As they waited for paramedics, Gozier stayed by the woman and tried to wake her.

DiCandilo later learned the woman has Alzheimer’s and lives next door to where she was found. She had slipped outside around 4:15 a.m. and had been in the freezing temperatures for nearly three hours when Gozier found her.

At the hospital, she was treated for severe hypothermia after her body temperature dropped to 78 degrees. She remained there for a week but eventually recovered.

As word spread about Gozier’s heroic actions, the community wanted to thank the dog. DiCandilo received a call from the Town of Ashland saying they wanted to honor Gozier, which they did recently in a special ceremony during a council meeting.

DiCandilo couldn’t be prouder of his pup.

“Dogs are special, they have that sense that we don’t have, and obviously that was well displayed that morning,” DiCandilo told 12 On Your Side. “It’s like a proud father, that’s my little girl.”

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