York dog praised for stopping boy from being hit by car

Eli ran into the path of an oncoming car when he was startled on the walk home from school, his mum said

A seven-year-old boy's support dog has been praised for stopping him being hit by a car when he ran into the road.

Rebecca said her son Eli, who is autistic, was walking home from school in York when he was startled and ran towards the carriageway.

However, he was attached to his dog, Elvis, who stopped him from getting too close to the traffic.

Rebecca said: "Had we not had Elvis, it would have been a very different outcome."

Rebecca said the dog had helped her son through stressful experiences

The 32-year-old said: "There was something Eli didn't like on the way home from school and his instinct was to run away.

"He can be okay one minute and then he's not."

But she said Elvis, a black Labrador, had changed the family's lives and helped keep Eli calm in stressful situations.

Rebecca said the dog had helped Eli get through a trip to the dentist and that he also finds it easier to go in and out of school because he knows Elvis is there.

Support Dogs, a charity based in Sheffield, helped the family find and train Elvis.

"Elvis is totally in tune with Eli, he can sense if he needs comforting," Rebecca said.

"Eli is more likely to speak to other people now, because he is really proud of Elvis.

"I can't imagine him not being here now - he's very much part of the family."