Blind Philadelphia Woman Testifies That Guide Dog Saved Her From Home Intruders
By Tony Hanson
PHILADELPHIA (CBS) - A blind Holmesburg woman testifies her guide dog saved her, scared off home invaders and then called for help.
Maria Colon has testified she woke to a noise in the middle of the night and heard two male voices including the voice of an 18-year-old neighbor, but her Labrador retriever Yolanda was there for her.
"The dog was awake at this point, growling, [and] chased the two men out of the house," says Prosecutor Melissa Francis.
But the danger was not over as gas filled the house because all the burners and oven had been turned on.
"The dog is trained, when there is an emergency situation, to go to the phone which sits on a low shelf. The dog knocks the receiver off of the phone and there are three large buttons, and the dog knows which buttons to dial," Francis explains.
Yolanda called 911, police arrived to assist them and, based on voice identification, the neighbor was arrested.
The defense says the defendant is not guilty and he was never in the neighbor's house. They are challenging her credibility.
