Last week, one of our adopters reached out to us to relay the story of her “little hero,” Mugsy. Those of us who dearly love our animals know that our pets are keenly aware of our habits, our body language and our emotions. Mugsy’s talent, though, transcends the normal acuity of our furry companions and speaks volumes about everything we as humans can never understand about animals.
In 2005, Mugsy was found abandoned on a back road with a bag of food sitting next to him. He was only about a year old and was lucky enough to be adopted by a loving family shortly after he was brought into the South Jersey Regional Animal Shelter. Back in December 2015, Mugsy, an old man by then, was diagnosed diabetes and had since gone blind. It’s very difficult to watch our pets age and often it seems that as they lose their sight or their hearing, they become a little detached; apparently not so with Mugsy.
Mugsy’s story of heroism happened on a recent January night when he woke his owners from their sleep. Around 2:30 in the morning, the old dog that normally slept peacefully through the night began pacing on the bed. He then jumped down off the bed – something he would not normally do without assistance because of his blindness. His pacing continued on the floor once he got down.
Once at the hospital, SueAnn’s chest pain got her an express pass into the emergency room and, sure enough, she had had a heart attack. A catheterization and stent were required due to a 100 percent blockage. Mugsy had become a lifesaver.
How on earth did that old dog know that something was desperately wrong with his mom before she was even aware of it? What special sense do some animals possess that would alert them to something like a heart attack happening in a human body? And then, what goes on in their minds that tells them that this is something to be upset about, something to raise the alarm about?
It never ceases to amaze me what animals are capable of. I try never to underestimate their ability to think and to feel emotion, but sometimes, they just blow your mind!