They say true love has no boundaries. When you truly love and care about someone, details like religion, distance, and even species often become trivial. The love we share with our pets transcends the barriers of language and understanding. Dogs and other pets have often been reported to have come to the aide of their human caretakers in times of need. These brave beasts have put their lives on the line to protect the ones they love. This is the story of one such service dog, who saved the life of her blind owner, by dialing 911 in the nick of time.
A Puerto Rico native, Maria Colon, described her fear when she realized that her house was on fire. She said, “Oh my God, it’s smoke. And I can’t breathe.” All she could do was to yell the word ‘danger’ but this was enough for the canine to do the rest. If it wasn’t for Yolanda, Maria would not have survived.
The canine was trained to respond to the word and she remembered everything she was ever taught. Instead of panicking like many humans would have, Yolanda dialed the number and called for help through the specialized phone. She then led Maria out of the burning building to the safety.
The firefighters responded immediately on hearing about the fire and rescued the woman. Her pet was taken to Penn Ryan Veterinary Hospital for a scratched eye and smoke inhalation.
Both the dog and her blind human were reunited the day after the deadly incident. Yolanda was pampered and rewarded with some of her favorites such as food, toys, treats and supplies.
Red Paw is a group that provides aid to the pets displaced by fire and other residential disasters. Awhile back, Yolanda saved Maria when she fell in her house and lost consciousness. Yolanda then dialed 9-1-1 and alerted the authorities.
In 2013, Yolanda heard two men talking downstairs while her owner was asleep. She scared the burglars out of the house and even dialed 9-1-1 for help. The burglars turned on the gas before leaving which woke up Maria. The woman then called the police only to find that they were already on their way.
Yolanda went above and beyond to save and protect her beloved human. She truly a superhero with a collar and not with a cape.
