(Continued from page 6)
was in a st
ore and about to have a seizure Panda would bump me with her nose, then
stand in front of me and STARE the most intense stare you have ever seen. I could then
go to my car and lie down. If I was at home and sitting on the sofa Panda would jump up
next to me and vigorously lick my face and stare at me. I knew that no matter where I
was or what was going on with Panda by my side I was safe.
But Panda’s amazing ”early alert system” was not only for my benefit. Early one October
morning, Panda jumped on the bed and woke me up. This was something she only did
if I was about to have a seizure. But this time was different ….instead of curling up by my
feet, she insisted on laying between my husband Jim and I, with her head on his chest…
right over his heart. No matter how hard we tried to move her she kept coming back, so
we let her sleep with her chin resting on Jim’s chest. A few hours later he felt tightness
in his chest and was having difficulty breathing. We rushed him to the emergency room
at the local hospital and they transferred him to a cardiac center at another hospital
where a stent was inserted into his coronary artery.
I was standing at the nurse’s station at the emergency room waiting for the transporta-
tion arrangements to be made for Jim when a young man with two little girls approached
me and asked if it would be all right if his daughters petted Panda. The older of the two
had just been bitten by a dog and he wanted them to know that not all dogs were mean.
The girls were naturally apprehensive because of what had just happened but Panda
stood perfectly still while they gently stroked her head. Their dad said it was time to say
good bye and Panda lifted
her nose and gently
kissed the girl who had
been bitten on the cheek.
As we walked back to
Jim’s room I could hear
her telling her dad that
Panda really liked her and
that not all dogs were
mean.
Panda is now almost thir-
teen years old and semi
retired. She is no longer
able to accompany me on
long shopping trips, but
she does still accompany
me to work and enjoys
(Continued on page 8)
SPOTLIGHT on Dogs with Jobs
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