21-year-old Haley Moore was walking her family’s rescued Maremma mix puppy, Clover, in their neighborhood one day when suddenly she began to seize. She ended up collapsing on the side of the road.

A neighbor’s security camera caught the heroic and protective nature of Clover, and it’s a powerful testimony to the protective love offered to an owner by its dog. Check out this story . . .

“Clover stayed by Haley’s side and watched a car drive by. From there, the one-and-a-half-year-old puppy managed to release her leash from her owner’s grasp and trotted into the middle of the road before an incoming truck to stop the vehicle in its tracks.’

It was really impressive, the dog actually blocked my way,’ said the driver Dryden Oatway. ‘She kind of backed into the road to block my truck.’

Oatway rushed to the fallen women’s side and then rang the doorbell of the closest house “as many times as possible,” before flipping Moore over on her back and trying to position her head straight. Protective Clover kept a close watch the entire time, he added.

“The whole time she was backing down the street she had eyes on Haley; didn’t look away from her,” Oatway recalled. “She kept her distance from me but made sure her owner was okay and that was amazing.”

Neighbor Danielle Pilon jumped into action when she spotted the situation, noting that Clover only left when she arrived.

“You could tell she didn’t want to leave her even when we were with her but I think it just came to her that she was like ‘I need to go home to let them know she needs help.’”

Clover ran home alongside the neighbors, and together they alerted Haley’s dad. Paramedics soon arrived, and Haley, fortunately, ended up being just fine. Though the Moores aren’t sure what caused the seizure, Haley says she’s grateful to trust that Clover is watching out for her.

‘If this ends up happening again, I feel 10 times safer and I know she will be there for me,’ the proud owner said of her protective pup.”

What it must mean to feel “10 times safer” . . . and what if that is something that we can feel and claim every day?

This first week of Advent we are going to explore how the protective nature of God enables us to feel safe, regardless of what situations we face. We see it revealed repeatedly in the Christmas story. Fears confronted, lives embraced, and lived to their fullest, despite tremendous situations of fear.

Fears of inadequacy. Disapproval. Unexpected Circumstances. Loss of Control. Disappointment.

Do you wrestle with any of those fears? We will explore answers to those fears this week. If you missed the message yesterday, click below.

Today’s “Pay It Forward” Advent item: 

Buy a 4 or 5 lb bag of flour.

***You can bring to West office, Lake Norman High on Sundays, or purchase the Advent Items online and have them shipped to the West office.

Grace and Peace,

Andrea