# Support dog wakes deaf owner and helps save husband after fall down stairs

> A trained service dog called Storm woke her deaf owner shortly after midnight in Staffordshire, leading to the rescue of the woman's husband after a serious fall.

- Published: 2026-11-01 by Tickety-Boo News
- Section: Animals
- Location: Staffordshire, England, UK
- Web page: https://ticketyboonews.co.uk/stories/support-dog-wakes-deaf-owner-and-helps-save-husband-after-fall-down/
- Original report: [Hero Support Dog Saves Husband’s Life After Alerting Deaf Owner to His Deadly Midnight Fall Down Stairs](https://www.goodnewsnetwork.org/hero-support-dog-saves-husbands-life-after-alerting-deaf-owner-to-deadly-fall) (Good News Network)

## In brief

- Service dog Storm woke her deaf owner, Sandra Donally, shortly after midnight at their Staffordshire home.
- Sandra then found her husband Gary unconscious after he fell down the stairs.
- Gary spent 24 days in Royal Stoke Hospital having reconstructive surgery on his broken jaw.

A support dog in Staffordshire has been credited with saving a man's life after she woke her deaf owner in the small hours to raise the alarm. Storm, a trained service dog, leapt onto the bed shortly after midnight, and her owner's husband was soon found badly hurt at the foot of the stairs.

Sandra Donally, 62, was fast asleep when Storm jumped up and startled her awake. She noticed that the landing light was on and assumed her husband, Gary, had simply gone to the bathroom. Storm was not convinced, and stayed put at the far end of the bed, staring towards the landing. Sandra asked her to settle down, but the dog would not budge.

"When she wouldn't look at me, I knew something was wrong," Sandra said. Moments later, she found Gary crumpled at the bottom of the staircase, bleeding and unconscious.

Paramedics took him to Royal Stoke Hospital, where he stayed for 24 days and underwent reconstructive surgery on a broken jaw. The couple later pieced together what had happened: Gary had left the bathroom, missed the handrail, lost his footing and tumbled down.

Sandra shudders to think what might have happened without Storm. The couple normally get up at half past six, so she would not have noticed Gary's empty side of the bed until then. He could have lain there for about six hours, losing blood.

Sandra lost her hearing very suddenly in 2017 because of a rare disorder. She was partnered with Storm in 2024, and says the dog has made a real difference to her confidence. She no longer feels withdrawn and is out and about again.

## Why it matters

Assistance dogs are trained to help people with disabilities live more independently, and this story shows how closely they can read a household's routine and notice when something is amiss. For people who cannot hear a fall or a cry for help, a dog that raises the alarm in another way can be vital. It is also a reminder that quick help after a serious injury can make all the difference.