Thanks To Charlie Sarah Reid   © Copyright 2024 by Sarah Reid

Photo by Jon Cartagena on Unsplash

It had been such a difficult week with multiple seizures getting me down, my husband had to go to work after he helped me take the children to school and nursery.

Mum and dad were looking after me for several hours whilst he worked.

I gazed out of the grubby kitchen window which hadn’t been cleaned in years. I gazed at the fluffy clouds in the pale blue sky.

“Dad, you look exhausted “ I said as he had just got home from his night shift and mum had been called into work unexpectedly after a staff had called in sick last minute.

“ Are you sure you will be ok if I have a quick lie down?” dad queried nervously.

“I will be fine” I reassured him. Dad gratefully headed upstairs whilst I gazed longingly out the dusty window craving for some fresh air.

Charlie whimpered softly as he grasped his lead from the table, his chocolate brown eyes begged me for a walk as his tail wagged hopefully from side to side.

I was sure that a short 5 minute walk around the block would be safe and grabbing my bag and keys, I gently put his lead on his collar and grabbed my soft blue coat and we headed fot the front door.

As we crunched down the cobbled driveway, the breeze blew autumn leaves around us like confetti at a wedding as we made our way around the block. Suddenly halfway through our journey, I sensed a strange squeezing sensation in my head and a hazy mist swept across my eyes. “Oh no, please not a seizure!”I panicked. Suddenly Charlie froze like a statue as if he sensed something was wrong witj me. He suddenly seemed to take control and gently guided me back home to my parents house, checking me with a worried glance as if he knew he had to protect me.

Thankfully he got me safely back home and guided me up the cobbled driveway, scratching the old brown front door and whimpering and barking loudly.

My dad seemed to hear him through his open bedroom window above the front door and he peeked his head out to see what was wrong.

He quickly saw me staggering around the driveway and he quickly raced downstairs like a whippet and hastily opened the door and guided me gently inside to rest on the sofa.

Charlie sat next to me on guard, licking my hand with his sandpaper like tongue, until finally I came around from my seizure.

When dad told me what happened, I gently stroked Charlie’s rough fur. “Thank you so much boy” I whispered, relieved that he had been there to save me that autumn day.