On 11/24/2020, Keena Pratt and her husband, Bob, adopted mixed breed "Bernie" (renamed Auggie) from the Florence Area Humane Society. Little did they know that just one month after being adopted Auggie would forever change their lives.

While visiting family over Christmas Keena woke up one morning feeling nauseous. She went into the bathroom and sat down resting her head on the counter. From there things went from bad to worse. “I was in and out of consciousness,” said Pratt.

Auggie had followed her into the bathroom and at some point, left to find Keena’s husband, Bob. Pratt's husband described that Auggie started acting "off" and led him to her. He immediately called 911.

Paramedics arrived and transported her by ambulance to the hospital.

"I do not remember much about the ride and didn’t really come around until about 1 or 2 p.m.," explained Pratt. "The attending physician said I had dangerously low electrolytes and a UTI [urinary tract infection] that I did not realize. I was in the hospital for three days."

Dogs sense the world differently from humans. For example, they can hear high-pitched sounds people can’t and their sense of smell is unbelievably powerful. They also read human body language extremely well. Your dog is constantly watching you and interpreting your behavior. When you act out of sorts, it’s unlikely to escape your dog’s notice.

The human body is a complex cocktail of chemicals that gives off odors our dogs can easily detect. Dogs know a person’s individual smell and when illness changes that smell, dogs can notice that, too.

So, if illness changes your body chemistry and your dog knows how you’re supposed to smell, it shouldn’t come as a surprise when they react to your illness. As Dr. Burch in an American Kennel Club article explains, “Considering that dogs can detect cancer, diabetes, and seizures, we have every reason to believe that our dogs know when we are sick. Illness results in chemical changes in the body and changes in hormones and these changes can be detected by the dog’s extraordinary sense of smell.”

"I absolutely believe that Auggie either saw or smelled that something was wrong," said Pratt. "I cannot imagine what would have happened if he had not alerted by husband."

Pratt now sees a urologist to stay ahead of any further UTI, and said that the incident has only increased the family's love for Auggie the dog.

“Auggie is our hero. We cannot imagine life without him. He makes us laugh and brings us joy. We have peace of mind knowing he’ll help us if needed,” said Pratt.

“We encourage everyone to adopt a rescue dog. You never know if they’ll save your life, but even if they never have to, they add so much to your home,” Pratt added.