Ahna to the Rescue!
At the beginning of March, Ahna and I were out for an evening walk to get some exercise. Ahna is my trained service dog, and we go out regularly to build our bond and support my mobility and independence. After about a mile, we turned around to head home, walking down a narrow dirt road.
Near the end of our walk, we reached a big hill that leads to the gate of my house. My back had started to hurt, so I leaned forward as I walked—unintentionally picking up speed. Ahna was matching my pace, but we were moving too fast. I told her to “stop,” and she did—but I couldn’t stop myself and ended up falling off the road into the side brush. I landed right in the middle of a patch of prickly pear cactus, unable to move without getting more thorns in me.
I laid there, hoping someone would come by. Then heard a car approaching. Ahna came over, checked on me, and gave me a kiss on the cheek. She trotted out into the middle of the road and stood in the headlights, barking to get the driver’s attention.
It was a UPS truck. The driver tried to slowly nudge her off the road by driving forward, but Ahna wouldn’t move. Instead, she laid down in front of the truck to stop him. That finally convinced the driver to get out—and as soon as he did, Ahna greeted him with her signature “Happy Dance.”
She led him over to where I was lying, and I called out that she was my service dog and I needed help. He tried to help me out of the cactus, but it was too difficult, so he called 911 and waited with me until the paramedics arrived.
It took two paramedics to lift me out of the cactus. They had to cut off my clothing, which was full of thorns, and wrap me in a blanket before getting me into the ambulance. Ahna jumped in right after me. One paramedic started to say she couldn’t come along, but the other recognized that she was my service dog—even though she wasn’t wearing her vest—and insisted she stay, understanding she was an assistance dog providing emergency support.
Ahna stayed with me in the hospital in Tucson for four hours without food, never leaving my side. The doctors used a medical grade glue to remove the thorns, and through it all, Ahna was there making sure I was okay.
Her courage, intelligence, and loyalty turned what could have been a much worse situation into a story of resilience, partnership, and the life-saving value of service dogs. I’m so grateful for Ahna—for her training, her instinct, and her heart.
She truly is my hero.
- McDee
April 2025
