Just another rescue?

My apologies to my readers in the USA, particularly in the state of Oregon, who may already be aware of this story, however, I am sure that you will agree that it is something that should be shared with the rest of the world. I also guess you won’t object either to being reminded of this event which occurred 17 years ago.

The following story has been described as an unexplained phenomenon and a miracle and has been featured on television programmes delving into the mindset of the dog concerned. The two programmes that they appear on are American television’s “Unsolved Mysteries” and “Its a Miracle.” Personally, I am not qualified to pass comment on miracles or unexplained phenomena, so I won’t try. It has also been described as one of the greatest rescues of all time, and this I can pass comment on. On the surface, it just looks like another “dog rescues child” story, nothing out of the ordinary. However, read on…

Norman

In 1993 Norman, a yellow Labrador, was approximately 12 months old and residing in a shelter in Oregon, USA, having been abandoned by his owner. Unfortunately, the expiry date on his residency was already up by two days, and his appointment with a veterinary surgeon for lethal injection was imminent. His time had run out. Another victim in a world where we breed too many dogs and, having adopted one, continually decline to accept our responsibilities.

On this particular day, the fates conspired not only to save Norman, but three years later, a young lady would owe her life to this Yellow Labrador. But in between, an event would occur that would change Norman’s life and make the saving of a child one of the most remarkable animal rescues of all time.

When Anette  McDonald saw Norman in the shelter, she was hooked, Norman made a huge impression on her, and he had found his forever home. He became a much-loved member of the family and particularly enjoyed walks on the local beach, which bordered a river.

Fast forward three years to August 5^th 1996 and Joe and Lisa Nibly were teenagers swimming in the Necanicum tidal river. They were excellent swimmers, had frequented this particular part of the river before and had never experienced any problems in the past.

An Unexpected Tide

This day the idyllic scene would be terrifyingly different. A sudden unexpected change to the tide caused the water to rush up the estuary with considerable force. Joe Nibly managed to swim to the shore, but his fifteen-year-old sister Lisa couldn’t make dry land. With the rushing water inextricably dragging her down, Lisa was in great danger of drowning. She screamed for help, but the only potential saviour that day was a Yellow Labrador called Norman.

Now oddly, Anette McDonald shouldn’t have been there that day. It was a Monday morning and Anette just didn’t want to go into work. So technically, she was skiving off work, and before this event she was about to sit down and read a book but decided at the last minute to go for a walk.

The walk started normally enough without disruption, but suddenly without any warning, Norman started to run, gathering speed as he went. He raced 150 yards up the beach and plunged into the fast-flowing water, ignoring Anette’s commands to stop. Just to complicate matters, Anette McDonald couldn’t swim, so was unable to go into the water without needing to be rescued herself.  Finally, she was close enough to see and hear what was happening, but by now Lisa had seen Norman coming and stopped screaming for help and this caused Norman to lose his bearings, so Anette shouted to Lisa that the dog’s name was Norman and to keep calling his name. Norman reached Lisa, and she grasped his collar, but some reports say that she lost her grip, and Norman had to swim in a circle to give Lisa another chance to grab hold and he then “doggie paddled” his way back and towed her to the shore. Lisa suffered no ill effects from her experience and fully recovered.

Now I know what you are thinking, folks. Yes, it’s a very nice story, but hardly unique. That’s what I thought when I heard the story, after all, there any number of incidents where heroic canines have saved people from certain death. Well, this story has a bit of a  twist because, you see, after Norman had been adopted, he was taken to a veterinary surgeon to be examined, and it was discovered that Norman had an incurable disease with a horrible, inevitable outcome. Norman had Progressive Retinal Atrophy.

The day he rescued Lisa Nimby, Norman was totally blind!!