The Daily Populous Monday December 29th, 2025 evening edition
Authored by thetimes.com and submitted by TimesandSundayTimes

A widower who collapsed on an empty beach after suffering a cardiac arrest was saved when his loyal dog alerted people walking nearby.

David Howarth, 71, collapsed on Sandbanks beach in Poole, Dorset, after a swim with nobody around except his black labrador Beau.

The five-year-old dog started running around the beach and barking loudly, which caught the attention of Claire Dashwood, 65, who was walking with her partner about 100m away.

Speaking for the first time about the incident, which happened exactly one year ago, Howarth said: “I feel I owe Beau my life. I feel like I’ve won the lottery. I have this feeling of euphoria.

“I feel extremely high-spirited, upbeat, optimistic and incredibly thankful for Beau and the people who went out of their way to save me. I call them my angels. Every day I feel like the bubble will burst but it’s a year on and it hasn’t. I’m just so glad to be alive, to be here, to have another chance.”