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This dog is not just man’s best friend – he is one woman’s lifesaver.

When an elderly woman got into trouble while climbing her stairs, it was Digger the Dog who came to her rescue.

Digger’s owner, Amanda Evans, was in an upstairs room at her home in Hartnup Street, Maidstone, when Digger, a jack russell, came bounding in.

“He started barking for no reason at all,” she said. “He is not normally a barky-type dog.

“At first I wondered why he came upstairs. He knows he is not allowed. He has such short legs and while he can get upstairs we have to carry him down.”

When Digger’s barking subsided, Mrs Evans, 41, could hear the faint voice of a woman.

She said: “At first I thought my husband, Andy, was talking to someone at the front door but when I got downstairs, he was sitting in front of the TV.

“I could still hear the voice, so I thought maybe it was coming from next door.”

The couple hold keys to their neighbour’s house so Mrs Evans went round and found her neighbour, who is in her 80s, clinging to the top of her stairs.

She said: “She was unable to lift her legs and was just clinging on to the hand rail calling for help.”

The couple helped the woman into bed and checked on her at regular intervals. They remained concerned and called an ambulance later that night. She has been in Maidstone Hospital since last Thursday, where her condition is said to be “comfortable”.

Mrs Evans, who has had Digger for three years, said: “We are very proud of him and he’s a great dog. I sound like a pushy mum, but its true.”