The Pig Who Stopped Traffic to Save Her Owner’s Life

On August 4, 1998, Jo Ann Altsman was alone in a vacation trailer near Lake Erie when she suffered a heart attack. Her husband, Jack, was out fishing, and there was nobody nearby to help her.

She called out, hoping someone would hear. The family dog started barking, but nobody came. As the minutes passed, Jo Ann grew increasingly desperate.

Fortunately, there was another animal at the trailer that day. Her name was LuLu, and she was a Vietnamese pot-bellied pig.

What LuLu did next would eventually earn her a national award for heroism.

LuLu Knew Something Was Wrong

Jo Ann was 57 years old and had suffered a previous heart attack about 18 months earlier. She recognized the seriousness of what was happening and knew she needed medical attention quickly.

She tried everything she could think of to attract someone’s attention, including shouting and trying to make noise through a window. The family’s American Eskimo dog, Bear, was barking too, but the trailer was in a secluded location, and nobody responded. Meanwhile, LuLu was watching her.

The pig had originally been purchased as a birthday present for the Altsmans’ daughter, Jackie. What was supposed to be a temporary stay with Jo Ann and Jack had turned into a permanent arrangement, and LuLu had become a beloved member of the family.

Jo Ann later recalled LuLu looking at her and making distressed sounds. Then the pig did something she’d never done before. She went through the pet door, crossed the fenced yard, got out through the gate and headed straight toward the road.

A Pig Blocks the Road

LuLu made her way onto the roadway and lay down in front of approaching traffic.

Drivers suddenly found themselves facing a large pig stretched across their path. Some slowed down, others went around her, and at least one motorist stopped but was too nervous about the animal to get out of his vehicle. LuLu wasn’t getting the response she needed.

According to accounts of the rescue, she returned toward the trailer, where Jo Ann was still struggling, before heading back toward the road again. She kept moving between the trailer and the traffic, trying to attract someone’s attention.

It was certainly an unusual sight. A pot-bellied pig repeatedly lying down in the middle of a road isn’t something most drivers expect to encounter, especially when she appears determined to keep doing it.

But LuLu wasn’t giving up.

One Driver Finally Followed Her

Eventually, another motorist stopped and got out of his vehicle. This time, instead of remaining in the road, LuLu got up and headed back toward the trailer. The man followed her to the property, where he called out because he thought the pig was in trouble.

Jo Ann heard him and managed to answer. She explained that she was the one who needed help and asked him to call an ambulance.

The stranger immediately contacted emergency services. By the time help arrived, Jo Ann’s ordeal had lasted roughly 45 minutes. She was taken to hospital and later underwent heart surgery.

She subsequently said doctors had told her that another 15 minutes without medical attention could have cost her life. And the person who finally reached her had only stopped because a pig was blocking traffic.

LuLu Becomes a National Hero

News of the rescue spread quickly. Newspapers across the country picked up the story of the pot-bellied pig who had stopped traffic to save her owner.

LuLu was soon being compared to Lassie, the famous television dog known for rescuing people from danger. Jo Ann was delighted that a pig was finally getting some recognition for being intelligent, loyal and capable of helping a person in trouble.

The story attracted the attention of the American Society for the Prevention of Cruelty to Animals, which decided LuLu deserved an award of her own. In February 1999, LuLu traveled to New York to receive the ASPCA’s Trooper Award at its National Humane Awards luncheon.

The approximately 150-pound pig was honoured for her remarkable actions on the day Jo Ann suffered her heart attack. By then, LuLu had become something of a celebrity, with people across North America hearing how she’d repeatedly stopped traffic until someone followed her home.

There was one more detail from the rescue that showed just how attached LuLu was to her owner. When the ambulance arrived to take Jo Ann to hospital, LuLu tried to follow her inside.

The medics had to gently move her away before they could leave.