Hanover to honor dog’s life-saving act at Town Hall ceremony

HANOVER COUNTY, Va. (WRIC) -- A dog will be honored at a Town Hall ceremony for saving a woman's life in Hanover on Tuesday.

A dog named Gozier will be honored on Tuesday, March 3 at 6:30 p.m. in the Council Meeting Chambers at Ashland Town Hall, located at 121 Thompson Street, for saving a woman's life.

Gozier's owner, Dan DiCandilo, has taken her on a morning walk for nine years, no matter the weather.

One freezing morning, Gozier and DiCandilo were on their walk, and after a short time, she started barking wildly. He said that her bark also had a cry to it, something he had never heard before.

Gozier appeared to be focused on a nearby home, but DiCandilo did not notice anything.

“I don’t see a cat. I don’t see a dog. I don’t see people. I don’t see anything," DiCandilo said. "So I told her, ‘Come on, let’s go,’ and she wouldn’t go. She was pulling toward the house over and over and over.”

He then saw what appeared to be a pile of snow near the front steps of the house. When he got closer, he realized it was a woman.

The woman was non-responsive and was not wearing gloves, a hat or shoes. She had on a white robe that camouflaged her into the snow.

DiCandilo immediately called 911 and notified the homeowners, all while Gozier stayed by the woman's side.

“The whole time, Gozier’s was barking in her ear, trying to get her up,” DiCandilo said.

The homeowners said the woman did not live at the house and was rushed to a nearby medical center for treatment.

“From what I understand, her body temperature was 78 degrees,” DiCandilo said. “The homeowner’s Ring camera saw her out there at 4:15, so she was out in that weather with hardly anything covering her for three hours before we walked by.”

If it were not for Gozier's barking, DiCandilo would never have noticed the woman.

For more information, visit the Downtown Ashland Association's website here.