A Dream Come True
When Alhanna and Ricky met for the first time, it was love at first sight. They soon realized they wanted to share their lives together, and a few months after they begun dating, they decided they wanted to start a family of their own.
Unfortunately, she had a really hard time getting pregnant; so much so, that she came to think she would never be able to give birth. But one day, just when she was beginning to lose all hopes, she received the news she so much longed for: she was pregnant!
It Didn't Go Unnoticed
As you can imagine, it wasn't long before Keola became aware that her owner was pregnant. Dogs always notice when their owners are about to become parents, but each pooch behaves differently. What do you think Keola's reaction was?
To Alhanna's surprise, far from feeling annoyed or irritated, the pooch became tenderer than usual. Suddenly, she would kiss Alhanna all the time and spend all day by her side. However, this phase didn't last long. Read on to find out what happened next.
Something Was Wrong
At first, everything was working out just fine for Alhanna. Not only was Keola OK with it, but she was really enjoying her pregnancy too! In fact, during the first few months, she barely experienced any pains or morning sickness.
But by the time Alhanna was four months pregnant, things started to change. All of a sudden, Keola started behaving oddly. She would whine and whimper all day and paw at her owner's belly. It seemed like she was trying to say something out loud, but only couldn't. What was wrong?
Deep Pains
Just when Alhanna had hit her 16th week, she began suffering some sharp pains in her back. Such was her pain that she could barely stand up, much less walk. As soon as Ricky came back from work, they went rushing to the hospital.
The doctor checked her right away, but while the couple was expecting the worst, they were relieved to hear that the baby was OK. It turns out that the pains she had suffered were normal at that stage of the pregnancy, and she was told to be on bed rest for at least ten days. But would the pains go away for good?
Time To Rest
Even though Alhanna still felt sharp pains in her back, she felt relieved by what the doctor had said, and so she went back home to take some rest. She woke up the next day feeling slightly better, so she posted a few pics on Facebook for her family and friends to know how she was doing.
She chose to share everything on Facebook: from her symptoms, to her dog's unusual behavior, to what the doctor had said. But to her surprise, some of her friends said that she should trust her pet's instincts and go to another doctor to get a second opinion. Were her friends right? Did she really need to go back to the doctor?
She Made Up Her Mind
Alhanna didn't know what to do, but the truth was that the pain wouldn't go away. What if something was actually wrong with her pregnancy? What if her pooch was really trying to warn her about something?
However, it wasn't until her mother intervened that she finally made up her mind and went out to seek a second opinion. Alhanna's mom also suspected that the dog's behavior was a bad omen. If she had always been such a calm and tender dog, why was she going crazy all of a sudden?
SOS
The next morning, Alhanna woke up in pain, but nonetheless he decided to go to work. As she headed out, Keola did all she could to stop her. She jumped, wailed, and scratched the door as she saw her owner leave the house. But you'll never believe what happened next.
Just as she closed the door and headed out to the car, Alhanna blacked out and fell to the ground. Her husband, Ricky, heard the thump, so he ran outside and took her immediately to the E.R.
Dreaded News
As soon as she arrived at the hospital, the doctors ran a couple of tests to discover the cause of her back pains. And after waiting for the results for a couple of hours, they eventually discovered that Keola had been right all along: something was wrong.
After running a few tests, the doctors delivered some extremely preoccupying news: Alhanna was suffering from a double kidney infection. But what struck her the most was that, had she waited any longer to go to the hospital, her baby's life could've been at stake.
Her Life Was At Stake
The doctors told Alhanna that not only was her pregnancy at risk, but her life too. Her kidney failure demanded immediate treatment, so she was given antibiotics. Time was ticking and the doctors knew they had to act fast.
Starting the new treatment was urgent if she wanted to prevent any further damage to her kidneys, which were already weak enough. But was it early enough to prevent matters from getting worse? Or was it too late?
Swift Recovery
Fortunately, her body reacted positively to the antibiotics, which had quick short-term effects. Alhanna's friends and family were extremely relieved that she was steadily recovering, and so was her future baby!
Alhanna had to go through weekly checkups, just to make sure the recovery went on smoothly. In less than a month, her kidney infection had cleared up, which meant she was all set for the arrival of her baby.
The Day Of Their Lives
After all the stress, Alhanna's pregnancy came to a happy ending. Her baby was born in November, 2015. It was a boy and they called him Lincoln. The moment she and Ricky saw Lincoln's face for the first time was the happiest moment in their lives.
But other than the doctors, there's another hero behind this story, and it's Keola. If it hadn't been for her, Alhanna's mother and friends never would've suggested getting a second medical opinion, in which case she never would've found out about her kidney failure. But hold on, the story doesn't end here!
Welcome Home!
Alhanna spent a few more days in the hospital after giving birth to Lincoln. Before they knew it, the day finally came: the newborn baby was ready to go home and meet Keola, his savior! How do you think the pooch reacted upon meeting his younger brother?
To everyone's surprise, Keola went crazy as soon as she realized there was a new member in the family. She was excited yet at the same time overprotective: she would stay all day by his side, as if guarding him against danger.
The Baby's Safety
Even though Keola seemed to be very protective of his baby brother, Ricky and Alhanna were a bit worried that she would maybe hurt him, perhaps unintentionally. After all, Keola was huge compared to Lincoln, and she had very sharp paws!
However, Keola is not only tender, but also incredibly smart! She was well aware of their size difference, so she would always be extremely careful whenever Lincoln was around. Take a look at their photos together, aren't they the cutest?
Time Moved Fast
Before they knew it, Alhanna and Ricky's baby had turned 1. And guess what? He and Keola would play all day long! They would cuddle up in front of the TV and walk around the house whenever their parents were busy.
But the four of them would spend some quality time together each day, too! Each evening, Ricky and Alhanna would go for a walk with their pooch and their baby, and you know what? Keola would always know when it was time for their walk! But hold on, the cutest part is yet to come.
It's Nap Time!
After their daily walk, Keola and Lincoln would come back worn down and ready for a nap. Sometimes, they would even fall asleep one on top of the other. Take a look at their picture, isn't it the cutest thing you've ever seen?
Keola and Lincoln appeared to have a special bond. At least that's what Alhanna and Ricky always thought! But it turns out that they weren't the only ones who thought the same. The story's about to get interesting!
The Story Went Viral
Alhanna was convinced that her dog had saved her life and that of her baby. But guess what? Before she knew it, her story went viral, to the point that Keola was even nominated for an Animal Hero Award!
Specialists from the Royal Society for the Prevention of Cruelty to Animals (RSPCA) were convinced that Alhanna's dog had known all along that she was in poor health, and that's why they chose her as the winner! Ricky and Alhanna attended the ceremony and accepted the award on her behalf.
Intuitive Creatures
This hearth-warming story proves that not only are pets humans' best friends, but that they are also extremely intuitive creatures. In other words, they are capable of sensing things that humans just can't see.
When interviewed by Daily Mirror, Alhanna said the following: > "I have absolutely no doubt that both me and my son Lincoln would not be here today if it was no for Keola". We're with you, girl!
Dog Trivia
While some people think that Keola's unusual reaction was merely a coincidence, many other people support Alhanna's theory. In fact, many pet owners and even vets believe that dogs can sometimes tell when danger is right around the corner.
As a matter of fact, humans have 50 times less scene receptors than dogs do, and their sense of smell is 100,000 times stronger than ours. And according to many people, dogs can also tell when someone is ill!
Dogs Know When You're Ill
But hold on... is there a scientific explanation behind this crazy hypothesis? It turns out there is, so it's not so crazy after all! When you're sick, the chemistry in your body changes, and sometimes, dogs can pick up on these alterations by sniffing.
Therefore, when Alhanna began suffering from kidney failure, her pooch was instantly able to realize something was wrong with her. But wait a moment... what other changes can dogs sense? Slide next and find out!
Real-Life Heroes
Just as dogs can tell if you're sick, they can also sense if a woman is pregnant, precisely due to the chemical and hormonal changes that occur in a woman's body during that phase. It's almost like a superpower, don't you think?
It's even safe to say that dogs are real heroes! At least Keola is, that's for sure! If it weren't for her canine instinct, Lincoln wouldn't be the strong, healthy, happy boy he is today. So, do any of you still think that dogs aren't the best?