Every good dog owner loves their dog, but even the best-behaved dogs can be annoying when they want to be – from barking when they want food to whining in order to go out for the 10th time in a row. But sometimes man’s best friend is a little wiser than us mere humans and they know something we don’t. In such cases they are simply communicating as best they can in order to be of service to their human parents.
That was the case with one dog named Keola, who managed to seriously annoy her family with her barking. However, she wasn’t doing it for any old reason — it turned out that she was trying to save her owner’s life.
In this story from 2016, Alhanna Burdis née Butler from Doncaster, England was pregnant. When Keola, the dog she shares with her then-boyfriend, now-husband Ricky Burdis kept barking at her, she decided to go to the doctor and luckily was diagnosed just in time.
Keola, who is an American Akita has been with her owners since she was just a puppy and so her bond with both of them is very strong. When Alhanna discovered that she was pregnant back then, she was thrilled at the prospect of adding a new member to their family.
But, for some reason, it seemed that Keola grew visibly concerned. The large dog constantly barked at her human mom’s expanding abdomen and torso. Meanwhile, at that time, Alhanna began to experience severe back pains with her pregnancy, The Mirror reported.
When Alhanna went to the doctor, he assured her that it would be fine and that the pain she was experiencing was only from the weight of the pregnancy and her small frame. While the doctor seemed confident that all was well, Keola was not! The dog continued to bark at Alhanna’s torso, growing more desperate with time.
Then she began to stare into Alhanna’s eyes, seemingly pleading with her to do something and get help. The pregnant woman wanted to believe that everything was fine and that her dog was just being silly, but she admitted that the unusual behavior scared her. So she took photos of the dog’s behavior and posted them on Facebook, trying to make light of a situation that was frightful to her. Rather than laugh with her, Alhanna’s friends suggested that the dog might be onto something and could see – or smell – that something was wrong.
That’s when Alhanna listened to Keola’s warnings and went back to the doctor. The second time around she demanded answers and forced them to do a scan. As it turned out, her situation was serious and Alhanna needed to be in intensive care, according to The Mirror.
The soon-to-be-mom had what the doctors would later describe as a “superbug.” It was an antibiotic-resistant illness. And as if that wasn’t enough she also had a serious kidney infection that was in both of her kidneys. If she had not gone to the doctor, she would have died along with her baby, the publication reported.
Thanks to Keola, Alhanna received the treatment that she needed to heal her kidneys and recover from the superbug. After she recovered, her next trip to the hospital was to deliver her beautiful son, Lincoln. The family was overjoyed and told The Mirror that Keola loved taking care of the new baby.
Since then, Alhanna has continued to share her family life on Facebook. Just this month she posted that Lincoln would be turning 6 in November, while next month the couple’s second child, Huxley, would be turning 1! In an emotional Facebook post from earlier this year, Alhanna wrote about the relationship between her two sons and shared a few gorgeous photos. She said:
“Watching the love they have for one another is so special and it makes me the proudest woman and mother in the world. A mum of two very happy, healthy & loved boys. You will both have my heart- always 💙🌹💙 I will forever know how fortunate I am and I won’t take a single second for granted x”
What’s more, Alhanna has made a separate Facebook page to show off her family, specifically Lincoln and Keola’s adorable relationship! Titled “Keola and Lincoln’s Adventures,” Alhanna wrote on the top of the page:
“Keola is our beautiful American akita, she saved my life while pregnant and they have been [inseparable].”
On the page, she has shared photos of both of her sons with Keola and it’s too sweet for words. We’re sure that the Burdis family will be forever grateful for this special dog!
What do you think about this extraordinary story? Have you ever experienced such behavior from a dog? Let us know and pass this story on to your friends and loved ones.
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