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CHARLOTTE, NC — "I'm allergic to
everything," prefaces Cindi Davis in a line reminiscent of the 1993
film Sleepless in Seattle ("My head swells up like a
watermelon and I drop dead."). Ms. Davis of Gaston County,
North Carolina found herself in a similar dyspathic situation after being
stung by a bee last summer. The amazing story of her near-death
crisis and the dog who brought her back to life was aired on the PAX TV
show "Miracle Pets" last Monday.
According to the account, Ms. Davis required an
immediate dose of adrenaline to prevent her throat from swelling shut and
suffocating her. The problem was that, being a considerable distance from her
house when the incident occurred, she only made it as far as her front
hallway before collapsing, knocking her head on the door frame and losing
consciousness...
Dream sequence [Harp music plays]:
Ms. Davis's life may or may not have
flashed before her eyes, but for the sake of drama, let's say it
did. Three years earlier was when Cindi met "Spook", a
multi-colored, speckled Australian
Cattle Dog. Cindi rescued her from a cemetery near her home
(which is probably how the dog got the name).
End of Dream Sequence [Harp music is
cut short by slobbery dog, licking face. Don't you hate when that
happens?]
"She was licking at my face, pulling
at my shirt, barking, going crazy," Ms. Davis recalls. Spook
continued administering "treatment" until the woman regained
consciousness, crawled into her room for the medication and called 911.
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"I would have died without
Spook", Ms. Davis says.
 Since
then, the woman has successfully petitioned to have Spook recognized as a
service dog, a special designation for dogs trained to assist people with
special problems. (Spook Photo: Charlotte
Observer)
Under U.S. law, service dogs must be
admitted wherever their humans go. Courts may assess a civil penalty
of up to $50,000 USD for refusing entry to a service animal (first
offense) and up to $100,000 for subsequent offenses, under the American
Disabilities Act (ADA) Title III Regulation 28 Part 36.
...which means that Spook is now allowed
to accompany Cindi in airplanes, public accommodations and
restaurants. Not bad for just a dog with a slobbery tongue, eh?
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