Dogs really are man’s best friend. But for Keith Johnson, his dog Gita would also become his hero. Johnson said he was just enjoying the early morning hours at his his cabin in Stevens County, Wash., when he suffered a medical emergency.
At 5:30 a.m., his continuous glucose monitor began beeping, alerting him to low blood sugar. A diabetic, Johnson, 84, headed downstairs to grab some orange juice. But before he could pour a glass, his rescue dog, Gita, urgently wanted to go outside.
“She wanted to go out, so rather than go get the orange juice first, I opened the front door and walked out a few steps,” Johnson recalled. “It was pitch black.”
Gita, with her owner Keith Johnson. Photo courtesy of Johnson
Johnson turned to head back inside when suddenly he felt dizzy and disoriented. “I fell,” he said, collapsing to the ground in severe pain. Unable to stand, he lay helplessly as the hours ticked by, his loyal 13-year-old dog by his side.
“She came up very close to me and lay down, and I cuddled with her,” Johnson said. After some time had passed, the sun rising in the sky, in a moment of desperation, he asked Gita for help.
I asked her if she would go get help, thinking I was just indulging myself,” Johnson said.
But Gita didn’t hesitate. She ran off into the wilderness. At the same time, Stevens County Sheriff’s Deputy Colton Wright was patrolling the area. While driving along a rural highway, he spotted Gita sitting beside the road, far from any homes.
“I came around a blind corner and saw her sitting on the side of the road,” Wright said, noting that it wasn’t unusual for dogs to wander in this area, but something about Gita’s behavior seemed different. “I just followed my normal instincts,” he said.
Wright stopped and tried to coax Gita into his patrol car, but she refused. Checking her collar for identification, Wright found no information. Unwilling to abandon the dog, he took a photo of Gita and asked nearby residents if they recognized the dog, but no one did.
Gita then laid down in the middle of the road, and Wright said he just knew that something wasn’t right. “She looked at me like, ‘Hey, come this way,’” he said. Trusting his instincts, Wright followed Gita as she led him down a hidden driveway nestled in the woods.
Johnson enjoys a visit from Gita, at the rehab center where he is recovering from his fall. Photo courtesy of Officer Wright
After walking nearly a quarter of a mile through dense woods, Wright heard the elderly man calling for help. Rushing toward the sound, he saw Johnson lying outside his cabin. He had been there for almost seven hours. “Boy, am I happy to see you,” Johnson said. Wright immediately called for medical assistance and assured the now-relieved Johnson that his dog had saved his life.
Your dog is a hero,” Wright told Johnson. “With 100 percent certainty, she knew what she was doing.”
Johnson was taken to a nearby hospital, where he underwent surgery for a broken hip. Gita, who had faithfully stayed by his side, is being cared for by an EMT while Johnson recovers. “I’m devoted to her, even more so now,” Johnson said, adding that Gita continues to visit him at the rehabilitation facility where he’s working on walking again. “I was overcome with emotion,” Johnson said. “She’s a wonderful companion, and I owe her everything.”
As for Wright, he said he was just happy that he followed Gita. “Everything fell right into place,” he said. “I’ve got a new friend. Keith and I are talking pretty much daily. We have plans for dinner when he gets back to 100 percent health.”
Sources: Washington Post | People
