HealthyPet Heroes -

NEIGHBORLY LOVE

Everyone should have a neighbor like KiKi. The two-year-old shepherd mix barked an alert that led her owners to an elderly neighbor who had fallen just inside her doorway.

Before dinner that night, KiKi’s owners, Connie and Bill Harbert, were relaxing at home when they heard a strange “hurt bark” coming from their backyard. Bill went outside to check on KiKi and found her racing along the fence on the side of the house. Bill tried to get her to come inside, but she refused. When Bill reached the fence, KiKi jumped on him and fell silent so he could hear the cry that had caught her attention. It initially sounded like a cat’s meow, but as he drew nearer to the noise, Bill was able to distinguish the word “Help!”

He then saw what had drawn KiKi’s attention: one of their neighbors, Alma Hepler, was lying across her threshold and propping her door open with her cane. She lives alone and had hoped that someone would drive by and hear her cries. The Harberts called 911, and Alma received medical attention for a slipped disk. She credits KiKi with saving her life.

A local newspaper covered the story of KiKi’s heroics, and the next time the Harberts took KiKi to her veterinarian for a checkup, they noticed the clipping posted in the office. They found out that the veterinarian is so proud of KiKi that he is hoping to have her officially recognized at an upcoming veterinary conference. “He explained that he does not normally have dogs that get credit for doing something good,” Connie says. The veterinarian pointed out that dogs often get a bad rap in the news and it was nice to see one being praised for her heroics.

Connie explains that she has always known that dogs are special; in fact, she used to remind children in the Sunday school classes she taught that “dog” spelled backwards is “God.” KiKi is no deity, but she may just be Alma Hepler’s guardian angel.