--- description: Good dog! title: Family Dog Saves Boy with Down Syndrome Trapped in Dryer image: https://static.time.com/v3/assets/bltea6093859af6183b/bltde093bcdab65f2d0/6988d9b9bc6cfc69913e2a3c/time-logo.jpg?branch=production --- * [Newsfeed](/tag/time-section-newsfeed/) ## Newsfeed Update your preferences in [Account Settings](/account/preferences/) Close # Family Dog Saves Boy with Down Syndrome Trapped in Dryer by [Melissa Locker](/author/melissa-locker/) ## Melissa Locker Update your preferences in [Account Settings](/account/preferences/) Close Nov 17, 2016 4:06 PM CUT by [Melissa Locker](/author/melissa-locker/) ## Melissa Locker Update your preferences in [Account Settings](/account/preferences/) Close Nov 17, 2016 4:06 PM CUT An Irish family is lauding a [heroic cockapoo](http://time.com/4460220/baltimore-family-dog-house-fire/?iid=sr-link4 "undefined") known as Teddy for his swift actions that saved their young son from a terrible fate. Five-year old Riley Gedge-Duffy, who has Down syndrome, apparently climbed into a clothes dryer and got trapped inside when the dryer started spinning. According to [_the Irish News_](http://www.irishnews.com/news/northernirelandnews/2016/11/15/news/boy-five-injured-after-climbing-into-tumble-dryer-783864/ "undefined")_,_ the [family dog ](http://time.com/4569784/dog-lovers-walnut-mark-woods-walk/?iid=sr-link2 "undefined")immediately knew that something was wrong and cleverly alerted the boy’s mother to the danger. “The [dog](http://time.com/4436022/oldest-dog-uk-dies-mauled/?iid=sr-link5 "undefined") was barking like mad and running backwards and forwards to the tumble dryer,” said the boy’s father, Aaron Duffy to the _News_. “Because it was so dark inside, she could not see where Riley was.” As Teddy continued to bark, she opened the dryer and found the boy. She pulled him out the of dryer, poured cold water on him to soothe the burns he had received, and took him to the hospital, where he was treated for burns and bruising to his head. “It doesn’t bear thinking about what might have happened if the [dog](http://time.com/4437406/dog-reunites-owner-canadian-wilderness/?iid=sr-link7 "undefined") had not been there,” Duffy told the _News._ Surely Teddy will get extra tummy rubs and biscuits for his good deed. > [](https://twitter.com/BBCNews/status/798611056759189504) \[H/T [Fox 8](http://fox8.com/2016/11/16/family-dog-helps-save-5-year-old-boy-with-down-syndrome-who-was-trapped-in-a-clothes-dryer/ "undefined")\] ```json [{"@context":"https://schema.org","@type":"NewsArticle","@id":"https://time.com/4574769/family-dog-saves-boy-with-down-syndrome-trapped-in-dryer/","mainEntityOfPage":{"@type":"WebPage","@id":"https://time.com/4574769/family-dog-saves-boy-with-down-syndrome-trapped-in-dryer/"},"headline":"Family Dog Saves Boy with Down Syndrome Trapped in Dryer","datePublished":"2016-11-17T16:06:38.000Z","dateModified":"2026-04-13T07:38:46.236Z","description":"Good dog!","url":"https://time.com/4574769/family-dog-saves-boy-with-down-syndrome-trapped-in-dryer/","keywords":["Newsfeed","animals","Dogs","Family","Children and Families"],"thumbnailUrl":"","author":[{"@type":"Person","name":"Melissa Locker","jobTitle":"","url":"https://time.com/author/melissa-locker/"}],"articleSection":"","image":[],"publisher":{"@type":"Organization","name":"Time","url":"https://time.com/","logo":{"@type":"ImageObject","url":"https://time.com/images/logo.png","width":528,"height":156},"foundingDate":"March 3, 1923","sameAs":["https://www.facebook.com/time","https://www.instagram.com/time/?hl=en","https://twitter.com/time","https://www.pinterest.com/timemagazine"]}},{"@context":"https://schema.org","@type":"BreadcrumbList","itemListElement":[{"@type":"ListItem","position":1,"item":{"@id":"/tag/time-section-newsfeed/","name":"Newsfeed"}},{"@type":"ListItem","position":2,"item":{"@id":"https://time.com/4574769/family-dog-saves-boy-with-down-syndrome-trapped-in-dryer/","name":"Family Dog Saves Boy with Down Syndrome Trapped in Dryer"}}]}] ```