The Labrador usually lets Hank sleep late—but not on this particular day. Something was wrong. Very wrong.

The service dog named Tommy had been with Hank Ford since he was a pup, and he knew his owner was at risk. He started nudging Hank with his nose, then pawing at him, and jumping on his body.

Get up. Get up. Get up.

Hank figured the dog needed to go outside a little earlier than normal. But when Hank stood up, he was light-headed and woozy, starting to sense that something was wrong too. He opened the door to let the dog outside, but Tommy didn’t budge.

54-year-old Hank kept feeling worse. He decided to check his vital signs with a blood pressure cuff and was startled by the results.

His pulse was a staggering 171 beats per minute.

The military veteran who had served for more tha

See Full Page