When Pam Sica, of New York, borrowed $5000 so that Bullet, her 13-year-old graying Golden Retriever, could have a life-threatening tumor removed, she may have had, at least, a few doubts. Her vet recommended against spending so much money on a dog of that age, but Bullet meant more to Pam than $5000 and now, two years later, the dog still lives.
He was alive and alert last May when Pam went into the kitchen to heat a bottle, unaware that her month old baby boy lay blue and choking in the next room. It was Bullet who, inspite of his many years and stiff joints, came bounding in, barking and jumping and running back and forth. Pam followed him to the bedroom to find the gasping infant. Her husband performed CPR while an ambulance sped to the scene. Little Troy was stabilized and spent two weeks hospitalized for pneumonia.
Paramedics told Pam that, if they had found the baby ten seconds later, something terrible could have happened. She summed it up, "Bullet saved Troy's life."
Years ago, a similar story was told of a starving pup taken in by a kindly farmer after being dumped on a rural road. One night, about six months later, the farmhouse caught fire and this rescued dog alerted the sleeping farmer in time for both to safely escape.
This pup and Bullet may have been special angels but many rescued pets have gone on to become therapy animals who were the key to a breakthrough in the life of some struggling patient. In California, a young man, paralyzed from a surfing accident, was inspired by a tiny rescued, paraplegic Chihuahua named Willy, to find joy in even his circumstances and to never give up.
Many pound puppies have been godsends for the deaf, whose lives were changed with a hearing ear dog to alert them to the sounds of an alarm clock, a doorbell, or a baby's cry. Contraband dogs have risen from the pound's death row to sniff out drugs that were destined to ruin some child's life, or to identify guns and bombs that would surely have caused great tragedy. Even many search and rescue dogs were once doomed strays who were simply given a second chance. Rescuers often never realize the full impact of their work. Saving the life of "just" an animal may seem like a trivial deed but it can bring more good into the world than you ever could dream.
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