Valentine is a beautiful mongrel who was donated to Hearing Dogs for Deaf People. She is now my hearing dog and has shown herself to be a paramedic, wonder dog and guardian angel.
Soon after I got Valentine, she alerted me to my father-in-law having fallen in the bedroom between the bed and the wall as he had had a stroke. I was out in the garden and had not heard anything, but Valentine realised something was wrong and, even though she had not been given a command, she ran to fetch me and took me back to where he was lying. He was later admitted to hospital.
Valentine became quite ill, and was admitted to the veterinary hospital with viral enteritis and put on a drip. I was told that I had nearly lost her. Nevertheless she came through it, and after three days I brought her home. The vet told me not to work her, so I didn’t.
One day it was raining. My husband went out to the garage while I was in the kitchen preparing the vegetables. Valentine started touching me, but I ignored her, saying, ‘No, the vet said no titbits.’ She went away and I turned back to the sink.
All of a sudden, Valentine came flying at my legs and I realised that she wanted me to follow her. She took me to the patio doors, where I found my husband collapsed on the patio in the pouring rain. My husband was admitted to hospital with a suspected brain haemorrhage.
Another time Valentine was a paramedic was when my grandson was about two and was playing out on the patio when a strong gust of wind blew him into a bush. Before my grandson started to cry – before we even realised what had happened – Valentine ran to him and started comforting him.
One day when we were out, Valentine again acted above and beyond her training. I was walking up the high street and went to cross a very busy road, stepping out between two parked lorries. I looked out and said to Valentine, ‘It’s all right, we can go.’ Valentine would not cross, but kept backing towards the pavement. All of a sudden I looked up and there was a lorry passing at speed. I realised that I would have been underneath that lorry. Since then, Valentine will only let me cross on a pedestrian crossing.
Due to my hearing loss I lose my balance and fall over quite frequently. Recently, Valentine came to my aid when I got up in the early hours and it was still quite dark and I didn’t put the light on. Coming back from the bathroom, I lost my balance and fell. Valentine came rushing out of the bedroom to see if I was all right. I had to tell her that I was okay before she would settle down in her sleeping position beside my bed.
Valentine is indeed a very heroic hearing dog, very kind and very loving to everyone she meets. To me, Valentine is not just my working dog but a very dear friend as well, and we work as one.
Author: June Beech
Country: United Kingdom
True story: Yes
Rating:
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