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A Winnipeg man can thank his guardian angel after a persistent pooch kept him from freezing to death.

Cross Lake resident Helga Hamilton was visiting in Winnipeg on Dec. 30, and she and her dog, Max, took their usual route near Garbage Hill.

The pair were walking in the chilly weather — about -27 C at the time, with a windchill of -36 — when Max veered off the pathway and started to bark.

Thinking the dog was chasing after a rabbit, Hamilton went to investigate.

Instead of a rabbit, she found a young man, laying face-down in the snow.

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“Not a homeless man,” Hamilton said. “They figure he was taking a shortcut home and somebody spiked his drink.

“[I had] absolute fear ’cause I thought he was dead. Tweet This

“I was just praying that he was alive. I touched him on the neck and he had a pulse and checked to see if he was bleeding.”

Hamilton called emergency responders who took the young man to the hospital, she said, adding the man will live.

READ MORE: Hundreds show up to play with dogs at Winnipeg Animal Services on Christmas

Hamilton and Max later visited him at the hospital on New Year’s Eve.

“It was beautiful — a beautiful reunion — and I had referred to it as divine intervention,” said Hamilton. Tweet This

“I told the young man that because I had no plans on coming here that late at night alone with [Max].

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“I’m thankful I was able to speak with him about his life and how very blessed he is to have the loving family he does,” Hamilton said. “There was a double blessing to finding this young man.”

Hamilton is proud of her dog for his sharp nose, she added.

“He’s amazing and he’s always sniffing … [I don’t know] what led him here, but he saved a life.”

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