Let’s go for a walk!” Jess Parker called to her 10-year-old corgi, Waldo. “Uh-oh,” she said when she noticed her phone battery was dead. “Oh well, we’re only going around the block—what’s the worst that could happen?”

The two were 100 yards from their Kitchener, Ontario, apartment building when they left the sidewalk and meandered behind a fence to a grassy knoll — Waldo’s favorite comfort stop where he could do his business unleashed.

“Good boy!” Jess called, heading down to clean up.

Suddenly, Jess’s left leg slipped out from under her. But her right leg remained rigid as she toppled over, and she heard the snap of bone as she landed hard. Jess tried to move her right leg, and her foot dangled.

Life

This 10-Year-Old’s Lemonade Stand Is Changing the Lives of Shelter Pets

Julian Lin was known as the “mayor” of his preschool, and the outgoing little boy was loved by all the kids and staff. When he was 4, Julian knew the names of all the doormen at his family’s Upper West Side home in New York City, and he became friendly with a man operating a […]

“Help! Somebody, help me!” she began shouting in pain as Waldo trotted over and licked her face in concern. Then, he bolted. “Waldo!” Jess called as her corgi made a beeline toward the road. Oh God, please don’t get hit by a car, she prayed in mounting agony.

But instead of running into the road, Jess watched as Waldo scampered over to a stranger who was about to get in his car. He barked, then tugged on the man’s pant leg. Then, turned toward the trees — beckoning.

“Over here!” Jess waved when the man gazed in her direction, and Waldo led the way, pausing every dozen yards to make sure he was still being followed.

“Can you call an ambulance?” Jess asked, but unfortunately the man didn’t speak English. So as Jess mimed using a phone, and Waldo lit off again — this time toward home.

Hero dog’s brave feat

Jess’s landlady, Marg, was cleaning the parking lot when she heard the pup’s steady barking. “Where’s Jess?” she asked when Waldo came into view, alone, and after getting her attention he turned — barking all the while — and headed back with Marg close behind.

“What happened?” she gasped when she saw Jess.

“I broke my ankle — an ambulance is on the way,” she groaned. “Can you get my husband?” Marg called Waldo, and together, they headed to Jess’s apartment and alerted Brady. “You stay here, boy,” he said, and hurried out to the rising wail of sirens.

Life

This Teacher’s Creative Pug Letter Project Is Helping Kids Learn

The sound of thrilled giggles filled the classroom as Sharon Latek passed out letters to each of her first-grade students at Wescott Elementary School in Northbrook, Illinois. The children’s faces lit up as she placed a carefully addressed envelope on each desk. It was finally “Pug Mail” delivery day. Thirty years earlier, Sharon’s husband had […]

At the hospital, X-rays revealed Jess had snapped both her tibia and fibula, and shattered her ankle so severely that she’d also severed a vein. “It’s a good thing you were found in time or you might have bled out,” the surgeon told her.

It took several surgeries, a steel plate and screws to rebuild Jess’s ankle. After five days, she was released with a walker.

“I missed you so much!” she greeted Waldo, and after Jess got settled on the couch the corgi refused to leave her lap.

During three months of recovery, Jess was inspired to turn Waldo’s rescue into a children’s book, Waldo the Wonder Dog, and she’s donating a portion of the proceeds to the Humane Society of Canada.

Now that Jess is recovered, she and Waldo are back to their daily walks. “On a different, safer route,” she says, hugging Waldo. “This guy saved my life. He’s not just my best friend — he’s my hero!”