A funeral service for a six-year-old girl was being held in the cemetery on a late March evening.The hundred or so people who had assembled turned their attention to the little coffin, which was decorated with wildflowers.The father of the girl stood still, heartbroken by loss.
The sound of paws abruptly pierced the stillness.Despite the handler’s orders, a German Shepherd called Dakota forced her way through the throng.She leaped atop the casket with obvious resolve and froze there, as though concealing something beneath herself.When attempts to remove her failed, she grew and refused to go, keeping what appeared to be a secret.
The father of the girl saw that Dakota’s actions were a warning rather than an expression of grief.The dog then gave a low, recognizable whimper, the same sound she used to make whenever she thought the girl was going to attack.
The father had insisted on opening the coffin because he thought Dakota might be detecting something.Following much convincing, the director of the funeral consented.
…The crowd held its breath as the coffin lid slowly started to raise.People were terrified of what the dog had been protecting.
There was a scream.The accompanying physician hurried over to the casket, pressed his ear to her chest, and exclaimed:She is still alive!She is still alive!Make an ambulance call right now!
The father was stunned, unable to believe what he was seeing, until he heard a faint but genuine groan.He broke out in sobs and dropped to his knees.
Everyone had already mourned his daughter, yet she was still alive.The doctors had been duped by a very uncommon and nearly unnoticeable state of sluggish sleep that required a thorough evaluation.She had been proclaimed dead too soon.
However, how were Dakota aware?
Later on, the solution was discovered.The dog had been taught to pick up on even the smallest variations in the girl’s respiration and pulse since she had experienced seizures that nearly destroyed her vital signs.
Dakota has previously saved her parents’ lives on multiple occasions by warning them before the ambulance arrived.And this time, Dakota knew it wasn’t death after the doctors had given up.
She was the only one who refused to accept the end and the last to hear her small owner’s breath.
