SADIE, MY UNOFFICIAL HELPER By Christine O'Connor
SADIE, MY UNOFFICIAL HELPER
By Christine O'Connor
In December 1997 I suddenly decided I wanted another golden retriever. Our family's first one had passed away six months prior, and I had just graduated from college. Soon, I met four-month-old Sadie who greeted me with one giant jump for hello. Truthfully, I was a bit naive to the responsibility of being a dog mom, but we learned together and enjoyed our evening walks on the trails around our town.
Sadie was three years old when I began to realize how smart and intuitive she was. I herniated a disk in my back that summer, which left me temporarily partially paralyzed. After three days in the hospital, I was allowed to go home with a walker. Some walking ability had come back, but I could not put pressure on my knee or I would fall over.
Observing my walking patterns, Sadie would automatically adjust to whatever pace I was exhibiting. She never needed to be told to slow down. After surgery and through a long recovery, she was my ever-faithful companion.
Part of my physical therapy was to walk on the local high school track. At first a half-mile was excruciating, as my feet would go numb and hurt. I often walked with Sadie off leash, as it was easier, She would hover close, never letting me leave her sight.
When I started to get tired, she would take the lead and continually turn her head towards me in a swaying motion. She would look at me and then at the stopping point. Her eyes had an encouraging tone to them and I knew she was telling me I could do it.
Sadie always smiled and wagged her tail when my task was completed. She would also lick my legs in a massaging way when they hurt. Sadie just knew they were bothering me and that her licks made my legs feel better.
Slowly life became normal again, as I healed and returned to work. However, one day my back went out. In an effort to stretch and relieve the pain, I laid down on our living room floor where I became stuck. Unable to push off a table or other furniture to stand up and minus my cell phone, I sat, trying to decide what to do.
That's when my unofficial helper dog appeared. She had already determined that she was going to be my "table." In her doggie language she communicated we were going to work through this together. Who knows how long I would have been there had she not volunteered her help?
In my favorite photo of Sadie, there is a red ball hidden under her back leg and a tennis ball next to her front one. I was teaching preschool at the time of this picture and needed a ball for my class. Since Sadie had about 20 tennis balls, I thought I'd borrow one of hers. BIG mistake! She suddenly took out all her balls and started counting them. Then she lay on top of them. I learned my lesson to get my own balls and took a picture of the moment.
I enjoyed our life together. Sadie did many things that made me wonder about her hidden intelligence. Sadly, I lost her over a year ago to a brain tumor. It's our evening walks that I miss the most.
Visit www.angelanimals.net/nlimage87.html to see a photo of Sadie sitting on her toy balls.
BIO:
Christine O'Connor works in education as a teacher and college advisor in Colorado. A big believer in the healing power of animals, she volunteers for Canine Companions for Independence.
SOMETHING TO THINK ABOUT:
When have animals shown their intelligence and compassion to you?
Posted by Allen and Linda Anderson at 2/12/2012 1:58 PM 
Categories: Angel Animals Story of the Week
Tags: angel animals
Categories: Angel Animals Story of the Week
Tags: angel animals
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