Some people believe that Guardian Angels come in all shapes and sizes including the realm of the animal kingdom. In should then, come as no small surprise, that there are more than a few canine angels out there helping God reach those most in need as the following story clearly amplifies.
Early one morning, Susan Teasdale's neighbor, Nelly, anxiously knocked on her door and asked her to help take care of a stray dog she had only just found outside her apartment that had neither a collar nor a microchip fitted to help indentify who it belonged to. Nelly couldn't look after it herself as she had to rush off to work, but it was obvious the poor little mite needed some urgent attention - if only for the day! Caked in mud and ready to fall where it stood, the poor little tyke looked as if she hadn't eaten in days.
A divorced mother of two, Susan herself hadn't worked in years due to ill health and chronic bronchitis. Both of her kids still lived with her - Kal her 10 year old son and Bobby his 19 year old elder brother who had unfortunately been born with Down syndrome. Bobby was also born mute and couldn't feed or bathe himself either, so most of Susan's time was used to take care of his many needs throughout the day. Something she often found exhausting. Not that she minded; she loved Bobby to bits. Although she was seriously worried about his deteriorating health - he'd already had open heart surgery and a kidney transplant by the age of 19.
Kal and the dog connected immediately - and he quickly named her Garfield after his favourite cartoon cat. Susan and her boys bought the dog a used collar and leash, some chewing toys and a brown blanket to sleep on from a used store just up from their apartment. Kal played with the dog all day long, laughing gleefully whenever Garfield licked his face or playfully tried to chew on his hand. "Don't get too attached to her" his mother warned but he simply wasn't listening to her.
Susan and Nelly made up some FOUND flyers later that night and posted them all over the neighborhood in the hope that they could still locate Garfield's true owner. But as no one called back to claim her, she stayed the night with Susan and the boys. Her brown blanket was placed in the living room but she somehow grabbed it between her teeth and moved into the boys' room to sleep with them instead.
Five days later Garfield was still there and responding well to her new name and getting along famously with the boys. She loved playing like a ball of energy with Kal but was somehow always tender and caring with Bobby - almost as if she knew he needed to be treated with kid gloves. Susan wouldn't say it out loud, but she could swear that Bobby looked in better health since Garfield had moved into her home and somehow needed less attention than usual throughout the day.
The dog very rarely barked and didn't need much looking after either which was a blessing in a way. It often lay in front of the TV with Kal as they watched cartoons together after school. Then one quiet afternoon it started barking like crazy as it jumped up and ran towards Bobby's room, scratching it paws like mad trying to get inside. Susan, who had been busy cooking lunch in the kitchen, ran to see what was going on. She opened Bobby's bedroom door only to find him slumped over, his body writhing in a seizure with blood pouring like a fountain from his nose and mouth. A few minutes later Susan was in a cab heading for the hospital.
The neurologist later told Susan she was extremely lucky Garfield got to Bobby when he did. "A few minutes later and he would have choked in his own blood" he had told her matter of factly; though deriving no real pleasure from his words. "He might not be so lucky next time" he whispered. Right there and then Susan decided Garfield was a keeper.
Sadly, someone called her up the very next day to claim the dog back having read one of her FOUND flyers in the local convenience store. Distraught she broke the news to the boys who had both grown to love her as their own. Bryan McLaggan, the dog's true owner, only lived 4 blocks away and had been looking for the dog since she first went missing. Susan cried over the telephone telling him how the dog had helped save her son's life - but Bryan didn't seem to be listening. Caught up, as he was, in the euphoria of finding his beloved dog again.
As soon as he entered Susan's apartment the next day, Garfield jumped into Bryan's arms wagging her little tail like mad as she did so. Twenty minutes or so later he was walking out the door with the dog on a leash heading for home. Just as he was about to get into a cab though, he looked back and saw the sadness in little Kal's and Bobby's eyes as their downtrodden mother looked lovingly on as they tearfully waved goodbye to their little canine friend.
Something pulled on Bryan's heart strings seeing the sight of them all in such obvious despair. Without another thought he turned back round and handed the dog over again to Susan. "I think Garfield was meant to find her way to you" he said, tears in his own eyes now. "As much as I'd love to keep her, she belongs here now." A stunned Susan was lost for words, but there really wasn't any need for any. Sometimes, simple actions speak far louder than any words ever can.
Yep, Angels truly do come in all shapes and sizes. The kindness of strangers is one of the best ways of recognizing them. Remember that the next time someone reaches out to you. Canine or not!
(C) Charles Anthony McFaulds
