Heroism doesn't have to be loud and doesn't always require courage. Even someone who's least expected to act decisively can save someone's life. That's what happened with our dog.
Foundling
His name was Bim. He wasn't of noble blood—he was probably a Chihuahua mix. He was sitting by the road, shivering. At first, we thought it was from the cold. But when we brought him to his mother, fed him, and warmed him up, we realized shivering was his natural state.
Mom decided to keep the poor guy. We, now adults, had long since moved away and lived separately. We all had our own families. So our mom decided she would have a companion.
The foundling was named Bim after the very dog from the book who remained loyal to his owner even after his death. If only we had known that soon our family would be on the brink of a similar tragedy...
Canine intuition
The pet's mother took pity on him—she fed him, petted him, and expected nothing in return. But what could you expect from a frightened stray? Over time, Bimka gained some weight and became more like a domestic dog. But the terror in his eyes never went away.
If a spoon falls or a door slams, this "guard" hides in his hiding place between the bed and the dresser. If a cat passes by and gives him a stern look, Bim is instantly blown away by the wind. Mom forgave her pet's bouts of fear and accepted them with a smile. She even joked that if she were attacked by robbers, Bim would be the first to faint.
But this little coward turned out to be more than just a simpleton. Once Bim got used to the house a bit, he started cuddle-ing up to his owner. We also noticed a peculiar form of affection (as we thought at the time)—Bim kept trying to lie on his mother's chest. At first, we thought it was his way of thanking her for her warmth and care. And his mother never chased him away, but these affectionate behaviors became more and more frequent. As soon as she lay down or even just sat down to rest, Bim would try to climb onto her chest.
Eventually, this obsession became annoying. Mom even complained to her neighbor, Granny Valya. Granny Valya is a superstitious woman and knows a lot of real-life stories. So she remembered a friend of hers who had a cat that lay on her head when she was having a migraine attack. So, the neighbor assumed Bim was experiencing a sudden awakening of his intuition and advised Mom to see a doctor, just in case.
A terrible diagnosis
Mom didn't take this story seriously. She kept laughing: now Bim was not only a defense attorney but also a doctor. But she still went to the clinic—it was the year she needed a medical checkup.
The test results shocked us: Mom had a tumor. The diagnosis was breast cancer. However, she was lucky, as the tumor was detected in its early stages. She soon underwent surgery and chemotherapy, which resulted in her victory over this terrible disease.
The end of history
A full 10 years have passed since then. Bim has been gone for four years now. He was by our side the entire time Mom was undergoing treatment. She became very attached to him and considered him her savior. When she went to the hospital, she was very worried that her true protector wouldn't be there and that there would be no one to care for her. In reality, of course, the opposite was meant—who would care for Bim in her absence? We took turns taking on that task.
We are all grateful to this little dog, too. And now we know for sure that even the smallest and weakest creature is capable of great deeds.
