Dog Sits by Stranger in Airport. Owner Sees Tears in Man's Eyes & Knows
Though few folks would say that a seeing-eye dog is superfluous to someone suffering from blindness, support animals have gotten a bit of a bad rap as of late. Armchair pundits snickered when United Airlines prohibited a passenger from boarding a flight with an emotional support peacock back in January.
No one needs an animal to lift his spirits that much — right? Well, they may want to think twice about that after hearing the story of Madison Palm and her corgi, Cora.
Cora entered Palm’s life at the rich old age of eight, making her old in human terms. She’d birthed multiple litters, and her health had declined precipitously in recent years.
None of that was helped by her previous owners, who’d obviously neglected her. By the time the animal came to Palm’s attention, she had rotted teeth and infections in her ears.
Palm had only planned to foster the aging dog, but she was so struck by Cora’s kindness that she decided to adopt her. “She is a lover,” Palm explained to The Dodo.
“She is always right next to me and always keeps a close eye if she’s not. If I’m not available, she’ll pick the next closest lap to sit on and nudges your hand unless you are petting her at all times.”
The dog’s warmth was so palpable that Palm decided to get her trained as a therapy dog. Little did she know that the decision would later help a complete stranger.
The incident occurred as the young woman was flying from Idaho to visit her mother in Alaska. During a layover in Seattle, Cora slipped away from her owner in a flash and sat by a stranger in the airport.
Palm saw tears in the man’s eyes and grew concerned that her dog might be bothering him. She told TODAY that “with a somber face and watery eyes he said, ‘No, no. I lost my dog last night.'”
The man even decided to take a picture of Cora to remember the moment, and when he whipped out his phone, the small dog posed perfectly in front of him, hardly moving a muscle.
“Once he told me that his dog passed away, I looked at Cora and I thought to myself, ‘You are so amazing. How did I get so lucky?’” Palm said.
“I truly think she has a gift.”
A gift, she certainly is.
A dog truly is a man’s best friend, and pets of all sorts are one of God’s greatest blessings.
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