Woman told she has two tumours on her brain after being saved by hero dog Scooby

A woman whose dog saved her life in the middle of the night after she was choking on her own tongue has found out she has got two tumours on her brain.
By The Newsroom
Published 12th Jul 2017, 11:59 BST
Updated 18th Jul 2017, 08:27 BST
Shelagh Shaw pictured with Scooby, Jake and her husband Ian.Shelagh Shaw pictured with Scooby, Jake and her husband Ian.
Shelagh Shaw pictured with Scooby, Jake and her husband Ian.

Shelagh Shaw, 55, of William Thorpe Road, North Wingfield, was asleep upstairs in the early hours of the morning when she began to choke on her tongue after having a seizure.

Luckily, one of her two leonberger dogs, called Scooby, recognised something was wrong and came to her rescue.

Hide Ad
Hide Ad

Sadly, Mrs Shaw has just found out the devastating news after undergoing more tests.

Shelagh Shaw pictured with Scooby who raised the alarm when Shelagh was taken ill during the night.Shelagh Shaw pictured with Scooby who raised the alarm when Shelagh was taken ill during the night.
Shelagh Shaw pictured with Scooby who raised the alarm when Shelagh was taken ill during the night.

“I had an MRI scan which picked up something so I went to Chesterfield Royal Hospital and then the Hallamshire Hospital in Sheffield and I was found to have two tumours,” Mrs Shaw said.

“It is a massive shock. I am a bit devastated by it because it has happened so quickly.”

Mrs Shaw had been asleep upstairs in her home on May 26 when she started to choke on her own tongue.

Hide Ad
Hide Ad

Scooby recognised that something was wrong and alerted Shelagh’s husband, Ian, 57, to what was happening by jabbing him in the side of his neck with its nose.

Shelagh Shaw pictured with Scooby who raised the alarm when Shelagh was taken ill during the night.Shelagh Shaw pictured with Scooby who raised the alarm when Shelagh was taken ill during the night.
Shelagh Shaw pictured with Scooby who raised the alarm when Shelagh was taken ill during the night.

Mr Shaw put his wife on her side, applied a cold flannel to her face and then called for paramedics.

Speaking to the Derbyshire Times last month, Mr Shaw said: “If the dog had not woken me up she might not be here today.

“When I woke up Shelagh was making the most horrible noise I have heard in my life. It was a horrible gurgling noise. It was a frightening experience. I got a bit tearful.

“When she came round she did not know where she was.

Hide Ad
Hide Ad

“The dog is an absolute hero. Scooby is a great gentle giant.”

Mrs Shaw, who works at Barlborough Treatment Centre as a theatre administrator, spent 24 hours in hospital and underwent a number of tests including a CT scan and a chest X-ray.

Mrs Shaw will now have a biopsy next Tuesday (July 18).

“We are keeping everything crossed,” she said.

“For me it has not sunk in properly.

“It has hit Ian quite hard.”

She added: “Thank god for Scooby.”

“He has been getting extra cuddles.”