10 Year Old Howell Hero Sets Out to Save Dog, Saves Neighbor In Surprise Twist

Danny DiPietro was with his dad.  They were on their way home from a hockey game one recent bitter night when he spotted what he thought was a dog that someone had left outdoors.  That didn't sit right with him.

Upon arriving home, Danny couldn't shake the thought of a dog having been left out in such cold temperatures, so he asked his mom if he could go check it out.  It took some convincing, but eventually his mom, Dawn, agreed to take a walk.  So Danny, Dawn and the family dog, set out toward the condos where Danny had seen the dog.

Halfway there, within view of the garage where Danny had seen the dog, Dawn realized it wasn't a dog that Danny had seen at all.  As he and his dad passed by on the way home from the hockey game, Danny had spotted what turned out to be an elderly neighbor that had slipped on ice in her garage.  She had been laying in the dangerous cold, exposed to the elements, unable to get up, for nearly two hours.

Dawn called 911, and Danny's dad brought a blanket.  Howell Police arrived quickly and 80-year-old Kathleen St. Onge was taken to a hospital where she was treated for dehydration and hypothermia.

St. Onge would likely not have survived another hour in the cold, doctors later told her family.