AN ELDERLY man has thanked the dog that ‘saved his life’ after an accident left him stuck in the footwell of his car for nearly 24 hours.

Ninety four-year-old Morris Cohen from Ringwood found himself in difficulty when his walking stick snapped as he climbed into his car, seeing him fall into the footwell.

Morris describes how he ‘hit the floor of the car’ and quickly found himself ‘wedged’ under the clutch and brakes, leaving him stuck and unable to get out.

The car had been parked in his garage, and with Morris’ family away at the time, the incident went unnoticed.

He said: “I was calling for help, but no one could hear me, even though the garage door was up.

“I was stuck in the car overnight; it was getting colder and colder. It was horrible.

“It was impossible to get out.

“I was really lucky because hypothermia had already set in.”

But it was Roger- a neighbour's Jack-A-Poo - who became Morris’ unexpected hero.

Nearly 24 hours after Morris’ fall, the dog had found his way into the garage and alerted his owner to Morris through persistent sniffing.

Morris said: “It was about 10am the following morning. The dog from over the road came sniffing around.

“I think he could hear me shouting.”

After Roger refused to leave Morris’ side, his owner Frances Wall came from over the road to see what he had found.

It was then that Frances spotted a struggling and freezing cold Morris tucked away in the footwell.

Frances said: "I went over to get Roger and I could just see Morris' feet."

Frances then described how her, and her brother John, tried to free Morris from the footwell, but had no luck. 

A 999 call later, and the help of three firemen, Morris was released, and taken to Bournemouth Hospital.

Morris said: “I owe my life to that dog.

“They said if I would’ve been there for a few more hours, I would have been a goner.

“I was extremely lucky.”

On Friday, and after ten days in hospital, Morris returned home to his wife Linda.

He has already gifted Roger a Christmas stocking of dog treats, but said he will never be able to do enough to show his thanks.