'They were trying to save me': Owner frustrated by his dog's annoying 2 AM habit, until he puts a night-vision camera and sees his doggo is actually keeping him alive

Author image for Blake Seidel
Blake Seidel • Managing Editor & Brand Manager
Dec 11, 2025 10:00 AM EST

It's hard enough to get a good night's sleep nowadays without your dog licking your face every night around 2 AM. Between scrolling on our screens for hours, random city noises in the middle of the night, and construction, there are a million reasons why you could be waking up tired. But for this pupper pawrent, the reason was much, much simpler, and he has his doggo to thank for better sleep and his life!

He was frustrated with his adorable Shih Tzu-Maltese mix, who adopted an annoying habit of licking his face during the night. He thought maybe the doggo had too much energy or wanted to play, but it turned out that the doggo would notice when he stopped snoring, and consequently, breathing, then run over to lick his face and wake him up. He didn't discover this until he set up a night-vision camera and saw his heroic doggo in action. 

This condition, where you stop breathing in the middle of the night, is called "sleep apnea", and it's very dangerous. Thanks to his diligent doggo, he potentially avoided a fatal chance of never waking up. Read through more of this doggo's and human's story below!

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  • 01

    I thought my dog had an annoying habit of waking me up at night licking me - turns out they were trying to save me!

    Owner holding his Shih Tzu including 'You stopped breathing for 5 minutes, 30 seconds'
    via LittleCityLifestylePhotography

    Image is representative only and does not depict the actual subjects of the story.

  • 02
    For the last few weeks I was waking up feeling unrested and I was gettin annoyed at my shihtzu Maltese mix for waking me up at like 2 am licking my face.
    via fastingslowlee
  • 03
    I was wondering why doesn't she just sleep instead of being playful so late!! Long story short, I was stopping breathing in my sleep and she somehow noticed each time and was rushing to try and wake me up so I can breathe again!
    via fastingslowlee
  • 04
    I put the camera to test it out lol and it turns out as soon as my snoring stopped and I went silent (stopped breathing) she got up from her bed and profusely began licking me.
    via fastingslowlee
  • 05
    im_dsgnr Get a CPAP, they are life changing IMO
    via im_dsgnr

  • If you don't know what a CPAP machine looks like, it literally looks like the alien baby from Alien attached to your face, but in a slightly less terrifying way. It's a mask that you wrap around your head with a long tube that connects to an engine-powered machine. You kind of look like an elephant with a very long, but very skinny, trunk.

  • 06
    Man snoring in bed
    via ajr_images

    Image is representative only and does not depict the actual subjects of the story.

  • 07
    nuxgwkkw1 Please do get a sleep study. Sleep apnea is hurting your heart and WILL (not "may") lead to heart disease. Imagine choking several times a night. Your whole body goes into stress mode, stress hormones are released, your heart amps up, just to make sure your heart and brain receive enough oxygen.
    via nuxgwkkw1
  • 08
    Once you start using a CPAP, you'll be amazed at how much less foggy you'll feel the next day. Also, good doggy! Give your pup a hug from this internet stranger for being a good friend!
    via nuxgwkkw1
  • 09
    ParkieDude CPAP My border collie would sleep outside my bedroom door. I'd go to bed early, and she'd bark and race to get my wife, who got up and opened the bedroom door.
    via ParkieDude
  • 10
    The dog took off racing down the hallway, flipped a U-turn, sped down the hallway at full speed, and jumped, landing on me. It woke me up, coughing and sputtering with wth happened. We didn't think much about it.
    via ParkieDude
  • 11
    Met up with my pulmonary doc a few days later, reviewing my chest strap data, and he asked, "What happened last Thursday at 11 PM?" I didn't have a clue, but my wife told the story of our Bordie Collie's wild run and jump
    via ParkieDude
  • 12
    Doc said, "Buy that dog a steak, you stopped breathing for five minutes, thirty seconds." Doggie CPR! Ended up getting a sleep study, and it was both Obstructive and Central Apnea. CPAP is needed to keep me breathing at night.
    via ParkieDude
  • 13
    maxdeerfield2 Apnea....don't wait get a sleep test. CPAP is in your future if you want one.
    via maxdeerfield2
  • 14
    Shih Tzu and owner sleeping in hammock
    via Helena Lopes from Pexels

    Image is representative only and does not depict the actual subjects of the story.

  • 15
    candypants-rainbow Wow. Dogs are the best. Amazing.
    via candypants-rainbow
  • 16
    ranegyr I have a new kitten and she started licking my face at night which i too thought was weird. I've been told by others that I seem to stop breathing at night, and no my rest is pretty crappy all around. This literally happened to me in the last two weeks. I guess i need to look into a sleep study. Thanks for the heads up.
    via ranegyr
  • 17
    3lbowMacaroni My chiweenie has woken me up for the last few years and I was SO ANNOYED! I got my CPAP last month and she sleeps through the night unless she has to go potty now
    via 3lbowMacaroni

  • Dogs are much more sensitive to our well-being than we think. If we're stressed or anxious, our dog immediately feels it and tries to calm us down. Or, she gets anxious with us, then we're just two anxious babies walking around trying to navigate the world. It's kind of wholesome.

  • 18
    MadiLeighOhMy Currently awaiting a sleep study for the exact same thing. My dog has been waking me up at night, and even went to get my husband from another room to come check on me because I have developed sleep apnea. Oxygen has been dropping to 70s when I sleep :( Scary stuff, but glad we have them to alert us. Hang in there, friend! Soon we will both have CPAPs and better sleep!
    via MadiLeighOhMy
  • 19
    Potential-Fan-5036 I sometimes get sleep paralysis when I'm really stressed and the only way I can wake myself from the dream is by making an audible noise, which is really hard to do in the dream, and if it is loud enough it wakes my kids who then wake me up, but it
    via Potential-Fan-5036
  • 20
    scared the bejesus out of them. I rescued a gsd x we call Bear from death row. When he senses it he pounces on me and licks my face gently till I wake up. I always say we think we're rescuing them, but they also rescue us
    via Potential-Fan-5036
  • 21
    dogsandwhiskey Aw your dog sounds amazing!! She loves you. I hope you get that cpap machine
    via dogsandwhiskey
  • 22
    jeejet I love that your pup is an accidental service dog!
    via jeejet
  • 23
    Alterception Dogs are so smart. They can sense distress. If I fall asleep on my back I'm probably going to get sleep paralysis. My husky senses when I'm fighting to wake up and move and starts licking my face. It snaps me right out of it.
    via Alterception
  • 24
    WiredNewt I had a very difficult time with a CPAP and tried a variety of masks, ultimately moving to an oral appliance that moves my jaw forward. That's when I learned there are sleep dentists.
    via WiredNewt
  • 25
    It wasn't cheap but it works great, I can use it anywhere, and it's better than all the sides effects of sleep apnea.
    via WiredNewt

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