Owner and dog alike

I have often heard it said that an owner chooses a dog that resembles themselves. I would hate to think I look like a Dogue de Bordeaux with sad eyes, droopy face, many wrinkles and folds of skin, huge scary teeth, not to mention the highly unpleasant constant drool for which these dogs are notorious! Of late, I am reluctant to agree that there do appear to be some similarities emerging! Both of us have extreme difficulty in walking, getting up when we've been lying down and have painful bones and joints. I had a cake in the oven and failing to set my reliable timer, promptly forgot there was something baking. Having no sense of smell due to Parkinson's and forgetting to use my oven timer, I suddenly noticed my dog sitting next to the oven staring at me. She didn’t move from that spot and like a child playing the game of who can stare the longest, her eyes determinedly focused on mine. Eventually she must have got fed up at my stupidity of not comprehending what she was so clearly trying to tell me, so she gave a short sharp bark and continued to stare. Then it dawned on me, and I opened the oven immediately just in time as the cake started to burn on top. Dogs are amazing – and although we trained her with all the usual commands, we never trained her to be an ‘assistance’ dog. Over a period of time she took on this role by herself, somehow her instincts allow her to sense when I'm not well and she understands when I'm in need. So the dog saved the day, or rather I should say the cake!