Miracles do happen if you believe in them, and sometimes, they come with four paws and a wagging tail. This holds true for Susan Denker, who got a second chance at life, thanks to her poodle, Lily.
Denker from Cheyenne, Wyoming, had a near-death experience when she suffered a massive heart attack while she was in bed. The woman lives alone with her pet after her family moved across the globe.
She recalled that she wouldn’t have survived the heart attack if her pet hadn’t come to rescue her.
Karen, Denker’s friend, rang the doorbell multiple times. When there was no answer, she decided to leave. However, when she saw the poodle acting strangely, she decided to check up on Denker.
When Karen saw Lily barking and running towards the bedroom, she followed the dog around to the back and found her friend unconscious.
“If it hadn’t been for Lily alerting Karen, and Karen being wise enough to listen to a dog, I would not be talking to you now, because they did pronounce me dead at one point,” Denker told Cowboy State Daily.
Poodle named Lily saves owner as she suffers hearth attack https://t.co/ewvVTTqatb
— Daily Mail (@DailyMail) November 24, 2025
Karen immediately called the authorities, who then knocked down the front door and rushed Denker to the hospital. After two months of separation, Denker reunited with Lily at a groomer where Lily had been boarded following Denker’s medical emergency.
Needless to say, it was an emotional reunion. Denker told the outlet, “They took her out of the crate, and she saw me and just went hysterical. They put her up on the counter. She wrapped her legs around my neck. She tried to crawl inside my shirt.”
“She licked absolutely every centimeter of my face, my lips, nose, eyes, she gave me a full wash. I was holding on to her as tight as I could, and she was holding on to me, too,” she added.
Lily has filled an emotional gap in Denker’s life after her family moved overseas. Her former husband moved abroad for work as an energy executive. Later, her children moved out to attend international schools before launching their careers that took them to places like Florida and the UK.
Dogs have always been her companions. She earlier had a German Shepherd. “I was a single woman, and in those days I looked pretty good, and I was right off I-25, so it was good to have a big 85-pound black German shepherd with me,” she said.
She then had a Pomeranian, followed by a toy poodle, who ultimately saved her life. The woman said, “Right now, we’re really socially fragmented, and our dogs and our pets have become super important.”
“These are not farm dogs that get scraps from the table anymore. These are treasured family members, and the grooming is one aspect of that,” she added.
