Peabody the old, blind dog
Peabody's
story begins on a cold night in early April in the mountains
of Montana. His person, an 84-year old lady named Harriet
M., lived alone in a remote spot just west of the Continental
Divide near MacDonald Pass. That evening, Harriet did something
very routine … she left her house to get the mail. But
on this evening, the front door swung shut behind her and
locked. She didn't have a key.
Harriet couldn't find a way to get back inside. She lived too far away to walk for help. And she certainly wasn't dressed for the frigid night. The only thing she had was Peabody, her blind German Shepherd who had trudged outside with her.
Harriet finally lay down on her front step, shivering in the below-freezing temperature. Peabody may have been old and blind, but he knew something was terribly wrong. Gently, he laid himself down on top of her. His thick fur covered her like a warm blanket.
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Whenever Harriet started falling asleep, Peabody would lick her in the face, waking her up. If you're suffering from exposure, the worst thing is to fall asleep. Peabody didn't know that, but for whatever reason, he kept her awake all night.
The next morning, thanks to Peabody, Harriet was still alive when a neighbor checked in on her. The neighbor found Peabody still shielding her from the cold.
She was alive because of Peabody, but the night had taken its toll. The neighbor rushed her to the hospital. Although Harriet would recover from the initial exposure, she never returned home. A relative moved her to assisted living.
Peabody's life turned upside down, too. He ended up in a vet clinic, his fate uncertain. No one wanted an old, blind German Shepherd. Months went by. Finally the clinic called us. We agreed to take Peabody. After all, as we say, “old and blind, that's our kind.”
Now this handsome boy has plenty of disabled buddies to hang out with. He's even discovered … girlfriends! He spends his days exploring the yard before coming in for a nap. And he gets joyful at meal time, whirling around excitedly until the “kitchen staff” has his bowl ready.
His life took an unexpected turn, but Peabody's making the most of his new pleasures in life.
