War continues to rage around the world, the U.S. presidential election is getting meaner and crazier, floods in Louisiana, earthquakes, drought, wildfires, terrorism — stop the world I want to get off!
Instead, how about a story guaranteed to warm your heart — and get me a ton of clicks?
A dog in Baltimore died while saving an 8-month-old infant during a house fire by covering the child with his body. This act of selfless heroism saved the baby, who suffered burns to the arm and side.
Erika Poremski said she had stepped outside to her car when she turned around to find the house in flames, according to CBS News. Her eight-month-old daughter Viviana was still inside with the dog, Polo.
“I tried to keep getting in,” Poremski said in an interview with CBS News. “She was up the stairs, but the fire smoke was so heavy I couldn’t get past it.” She suffered burns to her hands and face.
“I kept running back out and back in, trying to get up there. Then, the door curling started falling and I couldn’t get back in,” she added.
Poremski said that when firefighters arrived, they found Polo covering Viviana with his body. She said the baby only suffered burns on her arm and side because of the dog’s protection. The family created a GoFundMe page to help with medical costs for Viviana, who is still in serious condition, CBS News reported. By Saturday morning, it had raised more than $27,000.
“He was my first baby before Viv. He was like my child,” Poremski said of Polo, according to CBS News. “He followed us everywhere.”
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=wADQ5bum7QE
Canines have demonstrated this kind of devotion numerous times. Alerting family members to danger is a common occurrence. It doesn’t matter if they’re purebred champions or the lowliest mongrel, dogs have demonstrated a selfless dedication to humans that awes and inspires us.
Dogs aren’t stupid. Polo knew the danger and when every doggie instinct was telling him to get the hell out of the room, he stayed. It might be anthropomorphizing to imagine that Polo was consciously protecting the baby, but I don’t think so. I’ve seen and experienced the bond between family members and a dog and in many ways; it is mystical — something that can’t be measured but must be experienced to understand.
Good dog, Polo. Good dog.
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