that they have been flooded with calls on the whereabouts and condition of Buttons.

The dog, made famous by his owner Lee Edmead, was on the minds of many when they learned that Mr. Edmead had died.

And so devoted is the little mix breed dog that he stood ferocious guard over his master when he suffered a stroke and fell in his home on Monday.

Mr. Edmead's brother Ronald said that the ambulance crew that took Mr. Edmeasd to hospital was forced to wait for an hour as Buttons would not allow them in the room.

"The next door neighbour called me to come over and get the dog out so that my brother could be taken to hospital,'' Ronald Edmead said.

Buttons is being kept at the SPCA facility in Paget until surviving family members of Mr. Edmead decide if they will keep him.