A Devoted Doberman Helps a Mom Get Her Baby the Care He Needs
Nine-month-old Alexander has a loving companion in Saraya, the family’s Doberman. For his mother, Kim Reynolds, their bond has become especially precious: twice, Saraya’s unusual behavior has helped draw her attention to her little boy’s health.
“She’s not trained or a registered assistance dog but, every opportunity I have, she will be by his side.”
That devotion took on new meaning when Alexander was six months old. One morning, Saraya became unusually clingy, staying close to him and crying whenever someone carried him away.
Kim, a 41-year-old first-time mother from Somerset, England, couldn’t understand what had unsettled her dog. But when Alexander later became distressed and looked unwell, she decided to take him to the hospital.
“It was bugging me that Saraya was trying to tell me (that) something wasn’t right,” Kim said.
“It certainly added to my concern, and made us go in to get checked.”
By the time they reached the emergency room, Alexander had stopped crying. Kim briefly worried that their visit might be unnecessary. The medical team’s examination, however, revealed a dangerously rapid heartbeat of 280 beats per minute.
Doctors gave Alexander three doses of medication before his heart rate came down. He was then transferred by ambulance to another hospital.
After two days in hospital, he was diagnosed with Wolff-Parkinson-White syndrome, a condition that can cause dangerous heart rhythms and requires treatment.
Looking back, Kim believes Saraya noticed something she herself could not.
“She sensed it,” she said. “I had no idea.”
Today, Alexander receives the beta blocker propranolol by mouth three times daily. Happily, his mother says he takes his medicine without a struggle, drinking it from the syringe himself.
And Saraya’s watchful companionship has continued.
More recently, Kim noticed the dog behaving differently around Alexander once again.
“He was in his bouncer and she was next to him, licking his hands, looking at me.”
Concerned that his racing heartbeat might have returned, Kim checked his pulse. She also noticed that his throat looked red and took him to the hospital, where doctors diagnosed bacterial tonsillitis and prescribed penicillin.
The second experience deepened her appreciation for the attentive dog who loves to stay near her son.
“Now, I 100% trust Saraya.”
Kim also hopes that sharing Alexander’s experience will help other families become aware of a condition she had never encountered before.
“I’d never heard of the syndrome—and it wasn’t picked up at birth or at previous hospital visits.”
With Alexander receiving treatment and Saraya still close by, the family has much to be grateful for—not least the devoted companion whose persistence helped prompt a mother to seek care.
