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Dog Repeatedly Breaks Into The Nursery In Order To Warn Parents That There’s Something Wrong With The Baby, Saves Her Life (Plus 30 More Pet-Hero Stories)
When we’re sick, we often brush off our symptoms on things like allergies or the AC. However, when things get real, there's one sign we can’t ignore—our cute pets resting by our side and trying to nurse us back to health. They seem to have a 6th sense when it comes to our well-being and sometimes that intuition can save lives.
Kelly Andrew shared a story of how her hero dog Henry, an 8-year-old Boston terrier, saved her daughter’s life. Both parents knew that their baby had a cold, but the pet could sense that things were getting worse. He "kept breaking into the nursery and waking the baby", which made her feel a bit fed up with the dog. Until her 9-month-old daughter stopped breathing.
The post went viral, touching the hearts of thousands and sparking a conversation about how pets make our lives better. Make sure to read the whole story below and if your four-legged friend has done something heroic as well, share your experience with us in the comments.
Kelly Andrew, a writer from Boston, tells a story about how her four-legged friend Henry saved the life of her 9-month-old daughter
Image credits: KayAyDrew
Image credits: KayAyDrew
Image credits: KayAyDrew
In an interview with Good Morning America, Kelly Andrew mentioned that every time she shooed Henry away, he would go back in as soon as her back was turned. Fortunately, this behavior was not usual for their pet, so it captured their attention just in time for them to rush their baby to the hospital: "She wasn't clearing her airway. She started to turn blue and go rigid, and she just really couldn't get air."
At the hospital, doctors were able to clear the baby girl’s airways and made sure that she was well enough to come back home. The couple didn’t spare kind words towards their furry friend and mentioned that he will receive an additional gift this Christmas.
Image credits: KayAyDrew
Image credits: KayAyDrew
"[We're] definitely spoiling the dog a little bit more," said her husband Jeff. "He was allowed to sleep in bed with me last night, and he's got a steak in his future." Both parents are very proud of the Boston terrier who acted on his intuition: "He's never done anything quite so heroic before," Kelly said.
The post quickly went viral, receiving thousands of likes and retweets with users sharing their own stories. Apparently, there are plenty of pets who did heroic acts in order to assist their humans. Whether it's saving a child from SIDS, helping people cope with depression and mood swings or dealing with seizures, people flooded the thread with tales about their little friends.
Her story went viral and many users started tweeting similar experiences
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The question is, how do our pets know that there might be something wrong with us? Well, dogs are known for their sense of smell and people have taken advantage of this ability for hundreds of years—from hunting, detecting drugs and explosives to tracking down diseases. According to science writer Mia Rozenbaum, "Dogs’ sense of smell is so subtle that they can notice the slightest change in human scent caused by disease."
Dogs are already known for detecting cancer, malaria, Parkinson’s disease, COVID-19 and more. For example, "Canines proved to be able to correctly pick out the scent of children infected with malaria parasites 70 percent of the time, from socks they had worn all night," she wrote.
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Apparently, they are able to sniff out signs of illness even before a person gets sick. Rozenbaum said there’s been research where dogs were able to pick up biochemical changes in the body that would lead to a narcoleptic moment. They notified the humans in advance so that they would get to a safe place and avoid getting injured. Also, when it comes to people who have diabetes, dogs can assist with knowing when the blood sugar level is spiking or dropping.
Even though there’s been plenty of research showing that dogs are able to bring different diseases to light, it will take a while for them to be used in the clinics. "Researchers mostly still don't know exactly what chemical compounds dogs detect to alert to the presence of the disease," Rozenbaum explained.
"Knowing more precisely what the dogs are noticing would allow their training to be standardized, but even then the skepticism of the medical community might prevail. Not all doctors would want to rely on a dog to make a diagnosis."
Since it might take some time before we see our furry friends dressed in lab coats and writing down their conclusions, we can enjoy their company at home. Such friendship definitely has its perks, because it appears that canines keep you in good health.
#9
Dog owners have a lower risk of heart disease and are more resilient to stress because having one running around your house means you have to make some lifestyle changes. When you get a dog, you have to take it for a walk at least twice a day, and there’s no way of avoiding it. Increased physical activity strengthens your body and spending more time outside makes you calmer and generally happier.
Our four-legged friends are truly one of the greatest things that happened to humankind. Our pets not only improve our well-being and protect us from different dangers but also spread joy in the whole house. So while we might "not deserve them", we are sure lucky to have them.
#16
E2U&U2 2 years ago
My oldest climbed from a chair to a table to the counter and pulled herself up on top of the refrigerator about the same age that she started walking which was 9 months. I kept her on a leash for years because she was fast and had no impulse control. People would snarl at me, "You know she's not a dog," I'd just smile back and say "You're right. She's also alive, so we're good." My second was so slow she'd sit down in the middle of the street if I wasn't actively holding her hand. The two of them together were sheer madness sometimes. But they're in their 30s now and no worse for wear so I guess I did okay.
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Mean Red B 2 years ago
My parent's German shepherd (a she) is very protective of my daughter. I can leave them two and I know that they will be alright. Once my daughter started running away from me, a three year old can be surprisingly fast and not very obedient. My parents live in a forest, so no big deal in general, but this time she started running towards a forest road, on which very often quad drivers would just zoom at unreasonable speeds. The dog just turned on hyper speed and ran in front of my daughter to stop her into running on this road. My kid bumped onto the dog, hugged her and both came back to me. I've seen many times how the pooch is standing between my kid and something potentially risky or stupid. Also we have six cats at home, they also deserve a post here :)
Shirley Bell 2 years ago
Simple, they climb fences,Gates or squeeze through small openings, my younger brother was escape artist, my parents did everything they could to stop him.🤗 but they only got grey hair.
#18
Micheal Sharp 2 years ago (edited)
@TwirlyMcSwirl Nope sorry.. I strongly disagree... I honestly believe your story is just as impressive as the others... I think any story where an animal saves a human life is just extraordinary and just goes to show how insanely smart animals can be and also when it comes to saving lives it's not just limited to domesticated animals, which I think is pretty damn cool... Hope you and your family have a very Merry Christmas and a wonderful New Year...
#19
Pheebs 2 years ago
My parents had a dog when my older bro was an infant. Things the dog did: 1, refused to let my grandfather anywhere near my bro when being loud; 2, jumped through a window (shattering it) because he wasn’t allowed to accompany my bro outside; 3, got hit by a car saving my bro. Mind you, the dog also ran away from my other grandparents’ house a few years before all that, walking about 10 miles to my parents’ new home because he wanted to live with them. He’d never been to the new home.
#20
Amy Taylor 2 years ago
they really are wonderful creatures. When my mom died, my cats wouldn't leave my side, and I was pregnant at the time, and couldn't take my anxiety meds, and he would lay his head on my belly and wrap his arms around it.
#28
Pheebs 2 years ago
My cat does rounds every evening - 3 circles around the inside perimeter at bedtime, checking each person/animal/door/window. She likes to sleep cuddled up to one of us, but will only sleep for a short time if no one else is awake so she can do rounds. If someone is awake, she’ll zonk right out. As soon as you go to bed, she’s up and patrolling.
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What do you think ?
Miukuu 2 years ago
When I was a teenager, I was deeply depressed. Every night, when everybody else were sleeping, I would cry for hours and often harm myself. Our dog started to sleep next to me every single night. If my door was closed, she would cry until I let her in. If I was crying, she sat in my lap and licked my face. She made me feel less lonely and she was always ready to cheer me up when I needed it the most. I'm sure she knew how much I needed that. She passed away year ago and I miss her so much. I would give anything to see her again, even for a minute. She was my best friend and she saved me.
Agnes Jekyll 2 years ago
Hello Miukuu--what a lovely friend. I'm so glad she was with you when you needed her.
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Jef Bateman 2 years ago
I remember that people used to try to convince us that having pets was not safe. I had a person like that in my extended family. Now we know that pet ownership signify lowers mortality rates - particularly among people with cardiovascular issues, but for other people, too. It is safer to have a pet than not to have one.
Agnes Jekyll 2 years ago
Wow. These stories are amazing. I couldn't read it all--too many onion ninjas.
Sabrina Fisher 2 years ago
I am a mom to 3 angel babies. And with every pregnancy my cats have always tried to lay on my belly. Even my grouchy old lady who doesn't like to cuddle with me at all. This is the only time they will lay on my stomach otherwise they prefer to keep up on the pillow or beside me. If purrs and love could keep my angels here... they never would have left.
Christoph 2 years ago
Sad and one of my earliest memories. I was just old enough to ride my tricycle up and down our front yard. I would turn around right at end - but in the street (walk was not wide enough). I was headed out on another run - a truck was coming down our VERY never busy street when our pet chihuahua saw the danger. He jumped on my (like feet first body slam) and knocked me off my bike. Snappy rolled into the street and got hit and killed. Dog ABSOLUTELY saved my like. I was maybe 4 at the most. We were all devastated - including the truck driver.
Amelie Hodge 2 years ago
Maybe not as impressive as other stories, but last summer my mom and I were walking our dog. At the end of the walk we stopped to talk with our neighbour across the street, and did so for a long time. It wasn't extremely hot, only around 75°, but I was getting overheated, and I didn't feel very good. I think my dog was next to me for a lot of that time, and at one point she started pulling towards the house, signalling to go home. When we finally left my vision blurred, and I fell and scraped my knee really badly. The scar is mostly faded away now, but it took a year and a half. I like to think that my dog sensed that I wasn't feeling okay and wanted to help me ❤️
Luttjetrut 2 years ago
My cat once totally freaked out in front of one of my neighbours doors. I even took out the spare keys I had of him, but thought it would be kind of stalky to walk into his house without him knowing. That evening the police came by. They found the neighbour dead: ruptured aorta. I probably wouldn't have been able to save him, but since that day, I always check the neighbours when my cat freaks out.
Trisha Voll 2 years ago
I think I was around 6 yrs old when one day my cat Wild Thing(yes I named her after the song, it was my favorite at the time lol) led a charge and saved me. I was playing alone in the front yard looking for toads or rolly pollies like a diligent lil' tomboy, when I saw a giant angry Great Dane racing through yards straight at me with foaming spit flying and growling barks like no tomorrow. He was maybe 15 feet away and closing fast when all of a sudden Wild Thing leaps over the backyard side fence between us leading around 15 other cats(strays that I secretly fed/watered/played and occasionally snuck them into the house 😂🤭😏😇) on a mad rescue charge directly on to the angry dog's back, head, and rear end! I remember it vividly! Fur flying, it's yelping screams, and my cat's had no mercy so there was also a lil' blood splatter following the retreating trail... Wild Thing was always the leader and she protected everyone that was "her's" lol
Anon Anon 2 years ago
Several times throughout the years, my mother's cat would sense that I was sad, and would come and lie down on me for comfort. I remember one time, I was in my room and my mom's cat was sleeping next to me on the bed. I was feeling super depressed that night, and ended up having a strong crying spell. My mom's cat heard me, woke up and went "Mreow? o3o" before she walked up my torso and gave me a hug. We really don't deserve pets ;3; <3
Alex Luiz 2 years ago
My sister used to walk the dogs before school. One morning they came back without her and were barking really loudly. Turned out she had collapsed as the result of an asthma attack and had to have an ambulance. They literally saved her life. There have been many similar, but less dramatic, incidents over the years. I don't know why we are even surprised by how amazing our pets are!
Ruth Newton 2 years ago
Many years ago, I had cracked open the window in my kitchen and went to take a nap on the sofa after work. My rescued cat, Chessy, tried to wake me by meowing and kneading my face. I stirred but had a headache and wanted to sleep. She persisted and I got up to realize that the wind had blown out the pilot lights on my stove and the apartment smelled strongly of gas! She wouldn't give up. Miss that girl.❤
Samantha Becker 2 years ago
Not life-saving, but we had an Airedale for a while when I was little and she bit my dad once because he tried to spank my little brother. She was pretty protective of us kids.
Rhonda Phillips 2 years ago
I have 2 cat stories... One was when my oldest son stoped breathing in his sleep and our cat T-Bear came to me and got my attention meowing until I followed him to my son's crib and seen my son was having trouble breathing. Took my son to be checked and he was ok, no reason why he had trouble breathing but never did it again. My 2nd story is when my dad was passing away 3 years ago, my snowshoe siamese stayed in the room my dad was in and watched over him until the day my dad passed away. My cat then got up and walked out...
Elizabeth Johnson 2 years ago
I've got a rather heroic turkey. She hasn't saved any human lives but she saved the lives of all her flockmates (6 chickens and two ducks) early last November when she fought off a big hawk larger than she is that made a go at the flock. She got all scratched up and the tip of her beak cracked enough some of the bone could be seen but she got spoiled until she'd healed up and could eat normally again and she's still keeping her flock safe. Frosch is just about the perfect turkey, she's friendly and takes keeping everyone safe very seriously. I wouldn't be surprised if she'd do something to try and protect me or my dad if she had to.
Poppy 2 years ago
My cats take care of my mum while I'm at work. I live near to my mum and they followed me to mum's house so they spend the day there with her while I'm at work and I work 12 hours shifts. Mum has many health complaints including depression, Alzheimer's and a spinal injury and she says they look after her especially when her pain in her spine is very bad, my female cat especially curls up at my mum's back like a heat pad to help when she's lying down.
rabbit 2 years ago
An outside cat would come in to eat and then go back out. Another cat, getting on in years stayed inside. Old cat got sick. He just laid around and stopped eating. Outside cat started nagging him, I mean really unrelenting nagging, until he finally got up and followed her outside. She had caught him a mouse and was telling him to eat. He ate and returned to his bed. What we didn't know is that he had a cyst that prevented him from eating and it finally broke. He fully recovered.
Cecelia Latoof 2 years ago
Years ago, my dog Chaussee', and my cat Alexander Monday, would absolutely terrorize me if they had access to my back. Through my clothes, they would use their short front teeth to try to chew off two moles on my back. Again, THROUGH MY CLOTHES. After tolerating it for far too long, I made a Dr appointment. He removed both moles, had them biopsied, told me my pets were smarter than I and scheduled surgery to remove some meat around and under both spots. My neighbor poisoned them both. Chaussee' was only 11. Alexander Monday was nine. Man...what a massive blow. My heros, my babies, were murdered.
Michael Fuhry 2 years ago
So glad you're here because of your friends' actions, and how heartbreaking and infuriating to hear about their poisoning. So sad.
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Mary Bricklin 2 years ago
When I was 19, I got really sick from working third shift and not getting enough sleep. We at the point where all I was able to do was sleep and couldn't keep anything down; no liquids and no food. At that time, my sister had a cat; she was friendly but not at all cuddly or lovable. That cat slept with me the whole time that I was sick and left after I got better.
Miukuu 2 years ago
When I was a teenager, I was deeply depressed. Every night, when everybody else were sleeping, I would cry for hours and often harm myself. Our dog started to sleep next to me every single night. If my door was closed, she would cry until I let her in. If I was crying, she sat in my lap and licked my face. She made me feel less lonely and she was always ready to cheer me up when I needed it the most. I'm sure she knew how much I needed that. She passed away year ago and I miss her so much. I would give anything to see her again, even for a minute. She was my best friend and she saved me.
Agnes Jekyll 2 years ago
Hello Miukuu--what a lovely friend. I'm so glad she was with you when you needed her.
Load More Replies... Jef Bateman 2 years ago
I remember that people used to try to convince us that having pets was not safe. I had a person like that in my extended family. Now we know that pet ownership signify lowers mortality rates - particularly among people with cardiovascular issues, but for other people, too. It is safer to have a pet than not to have one.
Agnes Jekyll 2 years ago
Wow. These stories are amazing. I couldn't read it all--too many onion ninjas.
Sabrina Fisher 2 years ago
I am a mom to 3 angel babies. And with every pregnancy my cats have always tried to lay on my belly. Even my grouchy old lady who doesn't like to cuddle with me at all. This is the only time they will lay on my stomach otherwise they prefer to keep up on the pillow or beside me. If purrs and love could keep my angels here... they never would have left.
Christoph 2 years ago
Sad and one of my earliest memories. I was just old enough to ride my tricycle up and down our front yard. I would turn around right at end - but in the street (walk was not wide enough). I was headed out on another run - a truck was coming down our VERY never busy street when our pet chihuahua saw the danger. He jumped on my (like feet first body slam) and knocked me off my bike. Snappy rolled into the street and got hit and killed. Dog ABSOLUTELY saved my like. I was maybe 4 at the most. We were all devastated - including the truck driver.
Amelie Hodge 2 years ago
Maybe not as impressive as other stories, but last summer my mom and I were walking our dog. At the end of the walk we stopped to talk with our neighbour across the street, and did so for a long time. It wasn't extremely hot, only around 75°, but I was getting overheated, and I didn't feel very good. I think my dog was next to me for a lot of that time, and at one point she started pulling towards the house, signalling to go home. When we finally left my vision blurred, and I fell and scraped my knee really badly. The scar is mostly faded away now, but it took a year and a half. I like to think that my dog sensed that I wasn't feeling okay and wanted to help me ❤️
Luttjetrut 2 years ago
My cat once totally freaked out in front of one of my neighbours doors. I even took out the spare keys I had of him, but thought it would be kind of stalky to walk into his house without him knowing. That evening the police came by. They found the neighbour dead: ruptured aorta. I probably wouldn't have been able to save him, but since that day, I always check the neighbours when my cat freaks out.
Trisha Voll 2 years ago
I think I was around 6 yrs old when one day my cat Wild Thing(yes I named her after the song, it was my favorite at the time lol) led a charge and saved me. I was playing alone in the front yard looking for toads or rolly pollies like a diligent lil' tomboy, when I saw a giant angry Great Dane racing through yards straight at me with foaming spit flying and growling barks like no tomorrow. He was maybe 15 feet away and closing fast when all of a sudden Wild Thing leaps over the backyard side fence between us leading around 15 other cats(strays that I secretly fed/watered/played and occasionally snuck them into the house 😂🤭😏😇) on a mad rescue charge directly on to the angry dog's back, head, and rear end! I remember it vividly! Fur flying, it's yelping screams, and my cat's had no mercy so there was also a lil' blood splatter following the retreating trail... Wild Thing was always the leader and she protected everyone that was "her's" lol
Anon Anon 2 years ago
Several times throughout the years, my mother's cat would sense that I was sad, and would come and lie down on me for comfort. I remember one time, I was in my room and my mom's cat was sleeping next to me on the bed. I was feeling super depressed that night, and ended up having a strong crying spell. My mom's cat heard me, woke up and went "Mreow? o3o" before she walked up my torso and gave me a hug. We really don't deserve pets ;3; <3
Alex Luiz 2 years ago
My sister used to walk the dogs before school. One morning they came back without her and were barking really loudly. Turned out she had collapsed as the result of an asthma attack and had to have an ambulance. They literally saved her life. There have been many similar, but less dramatic, incidents over the years. I don't know why we are even surprised by how amazing our pets are!
Ruth Newton 2 years ago
Many years ago, I had cracked open the window in my kitchen and went to take a nap on the sofa after work. My rescued cat, Chessy, tried to wake me by meowing and kneading my face. I stirred but had a headache and wanted to sleep. She persisted and I got up to realize that the wind had blown out the pilot lights on my stove and the apartment smelled strongly of gas! She wouldn't give up. Miss that girl.❤
Samantha Becker 2 years ago
Not life-saving, but we had an Airedale for a while when I was little and she bit my dad once because he tried to spank my little brother. She was pretty protective of us kids.
Rhonda Phillips 2 years ago
I have 2 cat stories... One was when my oldest son stoped breathing in his sleep and our cat T-Bear came to me and got my attention meowing until I followed him to my son's crib and seen my son was having trouble breathing. Took my son to be checked and he was ok, no reason why he had trouble breathing but never did it again. My 2nd story is when my dad was passing away 3 years ago, my snowshoe siamese stayed in the room my dad was in and watched over him until the day my dad passed away. My cat then got up and walked out...
Elizabeth Johnson 2 years ago
I've got a rather heroic turkey. She hasn't saved any human lives but she saved the lives of all her flockmates (6 chickens and two ducks) early last November when she fought off a big hawk larger than she is that made a go at the flock. She got all scratched up and the tip of her beak cracked enough some of the bone could be seen but she got spoiled until she'd healed up and could eat normally again and she's still keeping her flock safe. Frosch is just about the perfect turkey, she's friendly and takes keeping everyone safe very seriously. I wouldn't be surprised if she'd do something to try and protect me or my dad if she had to.
Poppy 2 years ago
My cats take care of my mum while I'm at work. I live near to my mum and they followed me to mum's house so they spend the day there with her while I'm at work and I work 12 hours shifts. Mum has many health complaints including depression, Alzheimer's and a spinal injury and she says they look after her especially when her pain in her spine is very bad, my female cat especially curls up at my mum's back like a heat pad to help when she's lying down.
rabbit 2 years ago
An outside cat would come in to eat and then go back out. Another cat, getting on in years stayed inside. Old cat got sick. He just laid around and stopped eating. Outside cat started nagging him, I mean really unrelenting nagging, until he finally got up and followed her outside. She had caught him a mouse and was telling him to eat. He ate and returned to his bed. What we didn't know is that he had a cyst that prevented him from eating and it finally broke. He fully recovered.
Cecelia Latoof 2 years ago
Years ago, my dog Chaussee', and my cat Alexander Monday, would absolutely terrorize me if they had access to my back. Through my clothes, they would use their short front teeth to try to chew off two moles on my back. Again, THROUGH MY CLOTHES. After tolerating it for far too long, I made a Dr appointment. He removed both moles, had them biopsied, told me my pets were smarter than I and scheduled surgery to remove some meat around and under both spots. My neighbor poisoned them both. Chaussee' was only 11. Alexander Monday was nine. Man...what a massive blow. My heros, my babies, were murdered.
Michael Fuhry 2 years ago
So glad you're here because of your friends' actions, and how heartbreaking and infuriating to hear about their poisoning. So sad.
Load More Replies... Mary Bricklin 2 years ago
When I was 19, I got really sick from working third shift and not getting enough sleep. We at the point where all I was able to do was sleep and couldn't keep anything down; no liquids and no food. At that time, my sister had a cat; she was friendly but not at all cuddly or lovable. That cat slept with me the whole time that I was sick and left after I got better.
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