The Robinson family prepared to welcome their second child to their little family. Their first child, Johnathan, was already four years old, and they had decided to move to another house. The idea was to have more space for their little ones to run around and play together without getting under their parent’s feet. Both Mr. and Mrs. Robinson worked from home, so they made this a priority.
They found a four-bedroom home in a quiet neck of the suburbs. This was perfect because it provided office space and a bedroom for each of their children. What’s more, they had a large garden that was big enough to fit a swimming pool and a play house for the kids. Mrs. Robinson decided that she would set up the nursery as fast as possible – her nesting phase had begun already.
A Third Addition
When they didn’t think they could deal with any more members of the family, Mrs. Robinson woke up one morning itching to describe the dream she had. Mr. Robinson listened intently to his wife describing how they had their two children playing in the garden. They were both a little older, and they were laughing ecstatically at a dog that she just knew was theirs. This inspired her to adopt a dog. She wanted her children to grow up compassionately; this was her best answer.
Mr. Robinson asked her a few times if she was sure and tried to play devil’s advocate for a while until he realized it was a losing battle. His wife had made up her mind. So, he suggested they adopt a puppy from a rescue shelter. That way, the puppy would grow up with their kids and form a special bond with them. She agreed and said they must go today to see the rescue shelter puppies – it felt necessary.
She Couldn’t Ignore Her Gut
As they arrived at the shelter (which was situated on a farm one hour away from their new home), the attendant took them to the puppy pen. Mrs. Robinson loved the puppies. They came running up to her and licked her face as she giggled hysterically. However, she was not convinced about any of them. The attendant said they had some older dogs that were child friendly they might be interested in. So, they went to take a look. The older dogs were sweet, but she couldn’t help but notice a sad-looking pitbull hiding away in the corner.
She went over to him against the attendant’s warnings. But the pitbull looked at her with such sincere eyes; her heart melted at once. Apparently, he had had a tough life before and was abused heavily in his previous home. Mrs. Robinson was determined that the pitbull would be the one – she just had an instinctive feeling.
Two weeks went by, and the inspectors paid a visit to their home to make sure it was suitable for such a power breed. They came to collect their new dog. It was a bit of a struggle to get him loaded into the car. He whined, cried, and had no interest in being on a leash – clearly a result of being tied up for too long.
The New Baby Arrived
The day they brought their new baby home, they gently brought their new dog to meet their baby girl, Sarah. They had named the dog Diva because he cried a lot whenever they had to put the leash on for a walk. Diva was nervous at first; he had never been around such a tiny human before. Mrs. Robinson had no fears as she knelt down to let Diva give Sarah a sniff. Diva was suddenly making a noise they had never heard before. A sort of motherly cooing sound rumbled from his chest. He licked Sarah’s forehead gently, and both Mr. and Mrs. Robinson knew instantly that Sarah had a protector.
Diva became solidly attached to little Sarah and their four-year-old son, David. David would dress Diva in funny hats and put socks on his feet, and Diva just lapped up the attention. If strangers came over, he would not leave Sarah’s side. He cuddled her and licked her face in the most loving way. He never made any aggressive movements toward Sarah or David, and this allowed Mr. and Mrs. Robinson to relax a bit. However, they tried not to leave their baby alone in a room with him, just in case. They kept in mind that he was a rescue with a rough past. Anything could trigger him, and they were still getting to know him.
A Fearful Night
One night, they had just finished the evening routine of bathing both children, feeding them, and putting them to bed. Mr. Robinson would read a book to David, which he would choose meticulously. Mrs. Robinson would take Sarah into her room and rock her sleep on their rocking chair. She was a very good sleeper and managed to get through most nights without waking up. So, when Mrs. Robinson set Sarah down, she closed the door, leaving it ajar.
That night, they were in bed reading their books. Mr, Robinson was already half asleep, the rumbling snore building up in his throat. Suddenly, Diva let out a loud bark from somewhere in the house. Mrs. Robinson’s heart sank. She didn’t want Sarah to wake up because she was exhausted from a busy day. Diva barked twice again and louder than before. This woke up Mr. Robinson, and he sat up with a fright. Mrs. Robinson listened hard, trying to hear if an intruder had come into their home. When Dive barked again, she knew it was coming from Sarah’s room.
She leaped out of bed, her heart in a flurry of panic. As she opened Sarah’s door, she saw Diva gnawing away at the crib’s bars. Terrified that he was trying to hurt Sarah, she screamed, pushed Diva away, and pulled Sarah into her arms. Mrs. Robinson inspected her daughter, and to her horror, she realized Sarah wasn’t breathing!
A Near Tragedy
Mrs. Robinson was beside herself as Mr. Robinson loaded them into the car. He had grabbed David from his bed, and they all raced to the hospital. They arrived just in time for the doctor to revive Sarah, who managed to start breathing again. The medical team informed the Robinsons that Sarah had suffered cardiorespiratory arrest. A common deadly phenomenon that happens in infants.
The doctor praised Mr. and Mrs. Robinson for finding their daughter in time because so many parents were just too late. Mrs. Robinson suddenly burst into tears; she realized how special Diva really was to their family. Had he not been there and pushed himself into her room, they might not be bringing their daughter home at all.
When they got home, they fed Diva a roast chicken, minus the salt, of course. They would be eternally grateful to their fur-baby—a hero who was incomparable to most humans.
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This is a fictional story and was inspired by stories from around the web. Any similarities between this story and actual people are purely coincidental.
