Lulu and Jo Ann after the heart attack. Credits: vault50.com
Think you've heard every unbelievable rescue story out there? Then you haven't heard the story of Lulu.
Pennsylvania, late 1990s. Joan was home when she suffered a heart attack and collapsed to the floor. She was paralyzed and unable to call for help, lying helplessly; however, her pet noticed her. Who would her pet have been? A dog? A trained service animal? One hundred fifty-pound Vietnamese potbellied pig: Lulu.
Lulu personified urgency, and although she had no training, she reacted quickly. First, she managed to escape from the fenced yard (no small feat for a pig). Then, she made her way to a nearby road. Yes, that’s right! She laid down in the middle of the street, as if she needed protection, or was injured or dead.
The driver who was unintentionally stuck behind a pig, noticed the limp, motionless pig obstructing traffic; so, he pulled over to see what was going on. That is when Lulu got up, and without question, led the man back to the house. The man followed her and discovered Joan in the house, still alive (alive) but in terrible condition; 911 was called and Joan survived just in time.
It may seem like something you would see in a movie but it really did happen. Lulu didn’t just react instinctively, she seemed to analyse the situation, took risks, and acted purposefully. The difference between life and death was Lulu's quick thinking and will to prevail.
Apparently heroism doesn't need fur, training or even barking; sometimes it just needs a curly tail and a snout.