A Rescued Dog Returns the Favor

When Katie Condon accompanied her brother to the Washington Animal Rescue League three years ago, she wasn’t looking for a dog. Her 13-year-old corgi had passed away just a few months before and she wasn’t sure she was ready for another canine companion. But then she saw Talume, a small, frightened corgi mix who had been rescued from a puppy mill. Like most puppy mill dogs, Talume had lived a life of physical and social deprivation, and the emotional scars were obvious.

“She was curled up in a corner with no apparent interest in anyone,” Condon recalls. “To this day, I couldn’t tell you why I was drawn to her except for a sweetness that came through.” Whatever the reason, Condon felt a connection with the little dog, who she adopted and renamed Lucy.

Bolstered by Condon’s love and care, Lucy blossomed into a sweet, beautiful canine who loves everyone she meets. She also proved that she’s got brains as well as beauty, excelling at obedience and “tricks” classes. And because Condon is profoundly deaf without a hearing aid and a cochlear implant, Lucy received training in how to alert her when the doorbell rang.

Not long ago, Condon had an electrical fire in her home. Although the blaze set off smoke alarms, Condon was sleeping without my assistive devices and never heard a thing. “As I slept, the smoke increased and the fire spread,” she says. “Lucy physically pounced on my head and pushed and pawed at me frantically until I woke up and realized the danger. If she hadn’t been so persistent, I’m sure I would have been overcome with smoke. She saved my life.”