hero pets – Friends of the Animal Shelter | Aiken, SC https://www.fotasaiken.org Their Lives Are in Our Hands Thu, 20 Aug 2020 06:54:28 +0000 en-US hourly 1 https://wordpress.org/?v=6.9.4 https://www.fotasaiken.org/wp-content/uploads/2015/05/cropped-favicon144-32x32.png hero pets – Friends of the Animal Shelter | Aiken, SC https://www.fotasaiken.org 32 32 County Shelter Dog Matilda Saves Her Adopter’s Life https://www.fotasaiken.org/county-shelter-dog-matilda-saves-her-adopters-life/ Wed, 12 Aug 2020 05:29:22 +0000 https://www.fotasaiken.org/?p=6892 When Carol Winn adopted sweet brindle and white Terrier mix Matilda from the Aiken County Animal Shelter, she had no way of knowing this cute, young dog would save her life one year later.

Carol Winn with her canine heroine, Matilda.

But that’s exactly what happened. On June 24, Winn woke up startled to see Matilda shaking her bed.

“She doesn’t sleep with me, she has her own bed,” Carol said. “At 5:45 in the morning, when she woke me, I was having a heart attack. I fell out of the bed, and she stayed by my side until the ambulance got to me.”

Superhero dog: Matilda at home in 2020

Carol’s phone was in the living room, so she had to crawl from her bedroom to call 911. Matilda crawled along with her and would not let her out of her sight.

The University Hospital doctor who treated Winn said that had Matilda not shaken her awake, she would have likely died in her sleep.

“I feel that God sent Matilda to me just for that reason,” Carol said.” Fur angels are real, God works in mysterious ways. Thank you for allowing me to adopt my sweet Matilda. Thank you, God, for using my sweet Matilda to save my life.”

Winn was in the hospital for two days and tests confirmed she had a 100 percent blockage in an artery. Her doctor put in a stent and prescribed medication that she will have to take for the rest of her life. She was also instructed to take time off from work for two months, which resulted in her losing her job.

When Carol Winn saw this photo of Matilda on Facebook the evening of June 18, 2019, she rushed over to the shelter the next morning. “I got there an hour before the shelter opened and as soon as the doors opened, I went straight to her and she licked my face, and we were just meant to be,” she said.

“It’s fine, though,” Winn said. “Everything will work out. I have Matilda watching over me. She loves me and I love her just as much.”

The Aiken County Animal Shelter has many more dogs and cats needing homes and wanting to be your new best friend. Please call the shelter at (803) 642-1537, option #5, if you would like to make an appointment to see some of them!

Their lives are in our hands.


— By Bob Gordon, FOTAS Communications Director


PETS OF THE WEEK


HARRISON
Mixed breed, male, 6 years old, gray & white, 65 pounds – $35


SIMBA
Domestic Shorthair, FIV+ male, 3 years old, orange Tabby, 10 pounds – $10

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