Overview
- David Howarth, 71, collapsed after a sea swim on Sandbanks beach in Poole with only his five-year-old Labrador, Beau, nearby.
- Beau drew help by barking, running around and bouncing on him, which caught the attention of passer-by Claire Dashwood.
- Dashwood and partner Paul Harrold began CPR under ambulance phone guidance before off-duty doctors Rachel Hall and Chris Hovell took turns with compressions.
- Paramedics delivered three defibrillator shocks, signs of life returned after about 25 minutes, and Howarth later received an implanted defibrillator before making a full recovery.
- Marking the one-year milestone, Howarth expressed gratitude while the British Heart Foundation noted that fewer than one in ten survive out-of-hospital cardiac arrests, underscoring the value of fast action.