A tiny Chihuahua named Sassy recently proved that heroes come in all species, shapes, and sizes when she came to the aid of the 92-year-old grandmother who adopted her from a shelter. When Marie Alexander took a tumble on a routine trip to her mailbox, Sassy began barking and trying to alert passersby to the distress of her human companion. Typically, Sassy only barks when someone rings the doorbell of Alexander’s home, but on this day she barked for five hours straight in an effort to summon help.
Since the day she was adopted by Alexander, little Sassy has followed the elderly woman everywhere she goes. This includes the daily trips outside to retrieve the mail. On one such trip, Marie Alexander took a bad step and lost her balance. She fell over and came to rest behind a fence and some bushes that made it difficult for anyone to notice that she had fallen. The senior citizen made efforts to right herself but was too weak to rise. She had begun to lose hope of anyone coming to her rescue and feared she would be there as night fell, but Sassy had other plans.
Sassy began to bark furiously in an effort to get someone’s attention. Initially, her efforts fell short as people passed by without taking notice. Undaunted, Sassy continued her efforts to raise help for five straight hours. She ran at cars that passed by and yapped enthusiastically at pedestrians. Finally, two individuals took notice of Sassy and discovered a weakened Alexander where she had fallen.
By the time she was found, Marie Alexander was severely dehydrated. She was placed in the hospital so that she could receive fluids while doctors evaluated her condition. Although she made a full recovery, if it had not been for the persistent efforts of a loving canine companion there is no way of knowing what might have happened.
This much is certain: Marie Alexander will always celebrate the day she brought little Sassy home and made her a member of the family, and Marie’s family is surely grateful that the little dog was there when Marie needed help.