Brooklyn’s Mom, Megan, tells us how awesome Brooklyn is:

The Life Saver

Brooklyn may have literally saved my life when we were living in Chicago. My husband, Robert, was at work and I was home alone in our apartment. It was an evening in the early spring and about 4 months after we had found Brooklyn. We lived on the first floor of a walk up and I had opened the front window to let some air in.

I was cooking dinner when I heard voices at the front door. I looked out the window and saw 3 very large men dressed in all black with their faces covered trying to break into the building. I immediately felt my self panic and my adrenaline started to rush. My breath was short and I went to go get my phone but before I could even locate it, Brooklyn had flew to the window and pushed his head out and began barking in a crazy loud ferocious manner, with his teeth flashing and snarling. I heard the one guy yell “oh shit” and then watched them run down the street away from our apt. I called the police who said that they had tried to use a crowbar to pry open the front door and that Brooklyn must have scared them away. I have absolutely no doubt that he saved me from a very bad experience and that he knew, probably before I did, that I was in danger.

Since then he has remained appropriately protective. Once there was an off-leash dog in Brooklyn (when we lived there) who came running toward me, and Brooklyn placed himself between my and the dog and again gave out a warning bark which stopped the other dog dead in its tracks.

Basically I have found that he will bark if the door is knocked on by a stranger (he can smell my mom and never barks when it’s her) or if I am very tense and indicated I am fearful. But he never is aggressive. I have no doubt he would defend me to the death but he doesn’t attack, he just lets others know he is there and not to mess with me.

The Cancer Connection

Bella, our little dog, was the dog I had during treatment but Brooklyn was there when I had a scare with irregular cells and lots of testing. When we moved to NY in Sept. of 09, the Doctor found carcinomas on me, which were cancer cells that had not yet become invasive. I had to have them removed and undergo a bit of treatment.

During this time my anxiety was very high. I was not only scared that I was sick again but I was very terrified that I would have to get a hysterectomy, and as I had gone through more intensive treatment during my time with cancer to avoid that and to have a chance to have kids, I felt very sad, mad and anxious. The anxiety got really bad and I had a panic attack, which if you have never had one is basically your heart racing, shortness of breath, dizziness, vomiting, numbness in your hands and feet, and an overwhelming sense that you are going to die or that you are not OK. Apparently your brain begins to releases chemicals during a panic attack that are similar to those released when you do die, so it’s basically sending singles that you are a goner.

So if I begin to have a panic attack and I am home alone, Brooklyn immediately comes over to me and puts his head on my lap. I’d start to pet him and then lay down and put my ear to his chest so I could hear his heart beat. The combination of having him there, petting him and listening to his calmer heart beat slowed down my own and I began to relax and feel better. I can even tell that now when I am anxious or nervous he can sense or more likely smell it and does not leave my side.

Another fact of awesomeness

In a final fact about Brooklyn, the wonder dog: Since I have been pregnant he will not leave me. He follows me around from room to room, lays at my feet and when I am sitting down on the couch he will crawl up next to me and put his head next to my belly, never on it, but right against it. He no longer jumps up when he seems me but is very aware that he must stay down off of my growing belly. Even when I shower in the morning he waits right outside the bathroom door for me, and at night sleeps next to my side of the bed. I know that he can smell the changes in hormones in me, and even if he doesn’t exactly know what they mean, he instinctively wants to protect me and be with me.