1. Dreaming of Becoming Parents
An instant connection was felt when Alhanna and her fiancé Ricky first met. They knew they wanted to spend the rest of their lives together and that’s why they decided to start a family right away.
After several failed attempts it all started to feel like a distant dream, but then one day, Alhanna received the most awaited news of her entire life: she was pregnant.
2. Excited Keola
It didn’t take much time for Keola, an American Akita, to realize that her mom was pregnant.
Although she was already giving her mom hugs and kisses, she became even tenderer at realizing that her mom was pregnant. Keola started to spend most time by Alhanna as her belly grew bigger by the day.
3. Keola Started to Behave Oddly
Keola was normal at first, but she started to behave really strangely by the time her mom was about four-month pregnant.
Keola’s behavior was odd as she was no longer watching over her mom peacefully. Instead, she started whimpering and pawing at Alhanna’s belly. It seemed like she was trying to get something out, but the couple didn’t pay much attention to it.
4. Everything Seemed to Be Going Okay
Except for Keola’s behavior, the pregnancy of Alhanna was going pretty okay and she was really enjoying it. She experienced very less comfort during that period.
The couple was really excited to welcome a new soul into this world and they simply ignored Keola’s behavior as they thought she was going through a phase.
5. Things Started to Get Scary
Pregnancy was going like a breeze for Alhanna, until one day she started to feel sharp pains. She had just hit 16 weeks when she suddenly started to experience some really sharp pains in her lower back.
The intensity of pain was so severe that she could hardly talk or walk. Ricky rushed her to the hospital and prayed for the best.
6. Anticipating Bad News
As Alhanna was quickly taken to the hospital and the doctor saw her right way, the couple started to worry about their baby.
The couple felt really relieved upon hearing the news that the baby was fine and it was only pregnancy that was taking its toll on her body. She was advised to just take it easy on her body and get more rest. But something still wasn’t right!
7. Relieved But Exhausted
The constant thought of whether the baby was okay or not drained the couple and they just wanted to go home and get rest.
Although Alhanna was still experiencing sharp pains, she trusted the doctors and went to her comfortable bed to get some much-needed rest.
8. Sharing Updates on Facebook
Alhanna shared the updates on Facebook the next day so that her family and friends would know how everything was going. She shared everything from the symptoms to even how Keola had been acting strangely in the last few weeks.
Many of Alhanna’s friends and relatives were quick to offer their support and some of them even urged her to trust Keola’s instincts and that she should go back to the doctor.
9. Was Keola Trying to Tell Something?
The last few days for Alhanna had been completely exhausting and she didn’t know what to do. She didn’t want to go to the doctor as they had already told her everything was fine.
However, Alhanna’s pain remained and she started to believe that Keola might be right.
10. Alhanna’s Mom Knew Something Wasn’t Right
Although Alhanna was hearing from her friends and family that she should go to the doctor, she was finding it hard to make a decision. It wasn’t until her mother stepped in and urged her to get a second medical opinion.
Her mother was quite certain that Keola’s strange behavior was no coincidence. As Alhanna went to work the next day, she didn’t know something bad was about to happen.
11. Keola Trying To Stop Alhanna From Going to Work
Alhanna woke up the next morning still in pain. However, she decided to go to work. As she tried to head out of the door, Keola tried her best to stop her mom.
Keola jumped up and down and kept on whining. And then, Alhanna collapsed. Ricky heard the commotion and quickly took her to the emergency room.
12. Everything Was Looking for Answers
Alhanna was in the emergency room and her condition started to stabilize. Doctors ran a series of test to determine the cause of her pain and wanted to know if there was anything serious or not.
Everyone was waiting for the results and soon they found that Keola was right: it was not good news.
13. A Double Kidney Infection
After running a thorough exam and a series of tests, doctors came back with concerning news. Alhanna had a double kidney infection.
The scary thing about Alhanna condition was that if she had waited any longer, it could’ve caused her and her baby’s death.
14. Undergoing Treatment
The doctors knew that Alhanna was at serious risk of not losing pregnancy but also her life.
The doctors wasted no time in placing Alhanna on a serious regimen of antibiotics. They started to provide the necessary care and treatment to stop any further damage to her kidneys.
15. Stressful Times Were Over
Everyone felt relieved as the treatment worked and Alhanna and her baby were healthy.
During Alhanna’s antibiotic regimen, the doctors monitored the progress and ensured that the infection cleared up. Now all the couple had to worry about was the arrival of their newest family member.
16. Welcome to The World Baby Boy
After such stressful times, the good news finally came as Alhanna gave birth to a beautiful baby boy in November of 2015.
The baby boy was named Lincoln. The couple felt over the moon and they were so grateful to Keola.
17. Bringing Lincoln Home
After the birth of Lincoln, the couple spent a few days with him in the hospital. They were super excited to bring their new baby to their home and also so they could introduce him to Keola.
While reflecting on her pregnancy, Alhanna couldn’t stop thinking about how her pup wanted to tell her that something was wrong. She didn’t know how she would ever get to repay her beloved furry friend.
18. Ecstatic To See Baby Brother
As expected, Keola was instantly ecstatic upon realizing that her mom and dad had a new baby brother with them.
Keola was so much excited that she just couldn’t leave her baby brother’s side.
19. Looking After Her Baby Brother
The couple now realized that Keola was trying to tell them something was wrong and so it was understandable how strong her bond was with their son.
No matter where Lincoln went, Keola never left him and was always by his side.
20. A Gentle Touch
As Keola was a big dog as compared to tiny Lincoln, Ricky and Alhanna were worried about her hurting their kid unintentionally.
But Keola is a smart dog and she realized the size difference pretty early. Therefore, she was always extra gentle around Lincoln.
21. Growing Up Together
Ricky and Alhanna’s little bundle of joy turned one year old in no time. He was growing really fast in front of their eyes.
Lincoln and Keola spent hours cuddling, playing together and going on walks with mom and dad.
22. Going on Fun Walks
The family loves to do a lot of things together and one of those things is going on long walks around their neighborhood.
According to Alhanna, the adorable thing is that Keola always knows when it’s time for their daily walk.
23. Keola Insisting on Taking Nap with Lincoln
After some long tiring walks, taking a peaceful nap became customary for Keola and Lincoln.
They look super cute taking a nap together. By then, the couple knew that their Keola and son have a special bond. But they did not know that someone else would think the same as well.
24. Winning an Animal Hero Award
Alhanna truly felt that Keola saved her life and the life of her unborn child. For her, Keola was a hero and apparently, others felt that as well.
The story of Keola went viral and she was nominated for an Animal Hero Award by the RSPCA. Keola attended the award ceremony with her mom and dad where she received an award.
25. A Smile That Says It All
Although Lincoln is just a baby, it is quite obvious that he has developed a special bond with Keola.
The smile on Lincoln’s face gives us some really hopeful vibes of their great future together.
26. Happy and Healthy Lincoln
As Lincoln is a toddler now, Ricky and Alhanna feel blessed and super lucky to have Keola for giving them a warning.
Not only the couple feels blessed to see their child healthy and happy, but they also get to see him growing alongside Keola.
27. Reflecting on Pregnancy Scare
The story of Ricky, Alhanna, Lincoln, and Keola shows that sometimes pets are telling us something which others can’t see.
In an interview with Daily Mirror, Alhanna said: “I have absolutely no doubt that both me and my son Lincoln would not be here today if it was no for Keola.”
28. Was Keola’s Behavior Just a Coincidence?
Some people think that Keola’s behavior was just a coincidence, but many pet owners have a firm opinion that pets can tell when something isn’t right.
Pets, dogs in particular, can actually tell if a person is ill. It is because of their strong sense of smell. In fact, they have 50 times the amount of scene receptors as humans which makes their sense of smell 100,000 times stronger than ours.
29. Can Dogs Tell If Someone is Sick?
As we know that the chemistry of body changes whenever someone is sick, dogs can sniff to pick up on these changes.
When Alhanna had a double kidney infection, Keola was able to pick up on her body chemistry changes.
30. Can Dogs Also Sense Pregnancy?
As they can sense body chemistry changes, they can sometimes even sense if a woman is pregnant.
Thanks to their amazing sense of smell, they are able to detect hormonal changes of a woman. If you loved Keola’s story, these next dogs will certainly melt your heart.
31. Shana Saved Her Elderly Owner From A Snowstorm
This wolf-German Shepherd mix was abandoned when she was just two weeks old and her caring owners rescued her. They did not know that seven years later Shana would be rescuing them.
Her owners Norman and Eve Fertig got stuck under a fallen tree in a treacherous snowstorm in upstate New York in 2006. Shana tunneled a hole and pulled her caring owners to safety. She then used her body heat to keep them warm until the fire department arrived.
32. Hero Pit Bull
This Pit Bull was awarded 2008’s honorable Dog of the Year Award because she saved her owner’s life from a vicious male attacker.
Maya’s owner and single mother, Angela Marcelino was attacked when she was coming back after celebrating her birthday party. The attacker tried to force himself onto her and she was feeling helpless until she saw Maya. She told Maya to attack and the innocent-looking Pooch delivered a vicious attack to make the male perpetrator run away.
33. Five Months Old Honey Saves His Owner’s Life
This adorable English Cocker Spaniel pup was awarded Dog of the Year for saving her owner, Michael Bosch, from a deadly car accident. The SUV of Michael flipped upside down and landed in a ravine. Both were trapped in it and Michael gathered enough power to release Honey from the rubble.
The five-months-old Honey ran over a half a mile from the scene and brought back a man to rescue her owner. Michael would’ve died without his adorable and smart Honey.
34. Cat Daddy
Meet Napoleon who saved a batch of newborn kittens from drowning in a dangerous Michigan lake. He is a bad swimmer just like most English Bulldogs, but he leaped into the water and dragged a burlap sack back across the street. When the owners looked into it, their brave doggo had saved six tiny kittens.
They took the kittens back home and he even nursed four of them back to health. Unfortunately, two kittens passed away. The healthy kittens were taken to the local shelter where loving families adopted them.
35. Don't Let the Looks Fool You!
Junior may be a small doggo, but he has the heart of a lion. The 14-year old Shih Tzu mix took matters into its own paws and saved a house full of people from a deadly fire
Junior’s owner Madelous Davilmar and his six guests staying at that time were sleeping and no one woke up when a fire erupted in his owner’s house. So, Junior had to take swift action. He barked as loud as he can to wake everyone up and saved them all. “Junior’s a quiet dog and he started making a lot of noise,” Davilmar said.
36. Miley Saved Her Family From Carbon Monoxide
Miley, Arkansas puppy, didn’t let her owner Stacie Pitts sleep and would make loud noises to keep her owner from sleeping again.
Stacie soon realized that something was wrong. She woke her whole family and found that everyone was nauseous with severe headaches. They all went to the hospital to find out that Miley had saved them from deadly poisoning that could’ve permanently damaged their lungs.
37. Doing Justice to Her Name
11 years-old Canadian boy, Austin Forman, was saved from a cougar attack by his lovely pooch named Angel.
When Austin was playing in his backyard, a viscous cougar attacked him. Angel stepped in and fended off the cougar for long enough for Austin to get back into the house. However, Angel sustained some serious injuries. Luckily, she was nursed back to health by her loving family.
38. “Layla Saved My Life”
Ex-Inmate/Veteran Budhi Blair suffered from severe PTSD after returning from the Middle East which caused him to assault a police officer and his wife which eventually led to his arrest. He met Layla in jail, a pit bull who was mangled in a car crash. He saw himself in Layla – broken, discarded, and abused.
He took Layla under his wings and that decision completely changed his life. “That dog saved me,” he said. “Layla saved my life. That dog was better than Prozac for me,” he explains.
39. "Who Rescued Who?”
Xena arrived at the shelter as an extremely abused and neglected dog. Weighing only four pounds, Xena was just minutes away from dying from starvation. Today, she is the best friend and therapist of Jonny Hickey, an 8-year-old young boy with autism.
“He is the happiest child that I’ve ever seen him be in eight years,” said Johnny’s mom while explaining how her son made immense strides in the company of Xena.
40. Brave Nyla
Nyla’s owner Sheila found herself surrounded by smoke and flames. Unable to see, she didn’t know where to do.
Nyla saved her owner from a deadly fire by guiding her towards the door. Her owner was thankful to her brave and loyal Nyla: “Nyla could have left anytime. Instead, she chose to stay and risk her own life and face death to save me.”