Zelda, the sloe-eyed Bulldog who graces a line of greeting cards with inspiring messages like “Leap … and a net will appear,” and “Tough times never last … tough people do,” continues to raise spirits. But this time the recipient is her owner, Carol Gardner.
Two months ago, Gardner, who suffers from type-1 diabetes, awoke only to lose consciousness after her blood sugar plummeted. Gardner fell from her bed, and broke her neck in the fall.
“The thought came to me, ‘I’m going to die,’” Gardner told The Oregonian. When the paramedics came, Zelda stayed quietly with her owner instead of her usual barking at the door.
“She waited right beside me,” says Gardner. After three weeks in the hospital, Gardner came home to Zelda. “If I’ve been gone, usually Zelda will jump up and down when she sees me. This time, she was all calm and collected and gave me the support I needed.”