Shelter Dog Meal Donation Count:

Learn More

Family Dogs Brought To Hospital To Comfort The Baby In Her Final Moments

| Published on May 5, 2016

Dogs are man’s best friend, but they can also play the roles of loving guardians, especially to children.

When the Halls brought home baby Nora, 8-year-old Basset Hounds Grumpy and Gracie were immediately smitten with her.

“Gracie, especially, took on the role as second mother,” she said. “Whenever Nora would cry, Gracie would run to see what was wrong. She was always, always by Nora and kissing her and making sure she was OK,” said mom Mary Hall to ABC via Yahoo News.

Screen Shot 2016-05-04 at 8.24.51 PM
Screen Shot: ABC News via YouTube

But on April 6th, tragedy struck, and baby Nora suffered a stroke. She spent three weeks at the Children’s Hospital in Minneapolis, and the couple faced a parent’s worst nightmare: they learned that their baby was not going to make it.

Knowing that Nora’s time was limited, hospital staff asked the parents if they had any last wishes for their little girl. Mary had one simple request.

“I asked, ‘If you could let us have our dogs [at the hospital], we’d really appreciate that.’ I didn’t want to go home and have them sniffing around for her and not knowing where she went. They lowered the bed so the dogs could lay with her and Gracie ran up and licked her [Nora],” Mary said in the ABC story.

Screen Shot 2016-05-04 at 8.24.57 PM
Screen Shot: ABC News via YouTube

The mother noted that she was grateful to the hospital for making an exception and letting her dogs in to say good-bye to Nora. Knowing that Grumpy and Gracie were there to comfort their baby brought the parents a small piece of solace in a dire situation.

Screen Shot 2016-05-04 at 8.25.09 PM
Screen Shot: ABC News via YouTube

“It was really nice. It brought us a lot of comfort to have them [there]. But by the end of the first day, you could see they were stressed out and depressed. Normally, they’re very happy-go-lucky. We knew they could sense there was something wrong,” said Mary.

After spending her last moments with those who loved her most, baby Nora passed away at 5 months of age on Monday (May 2nd).

Screen Shot 2016-05-04 at 8.24.45 PM
Screen Shot: ABC News via YouTube

Her parents will always remember their short time together as joyous and filled with love.

“She was just a really happy baby. Before we went into the hospital, she’d just start laughing. She was happy all the time,” said Mary.

Screen Shot 2016-05-04 at 8.25.17 PM
Screen Shot: ABC News via YouTube

Our hearts and deepest sympathies go out to the Hall family. We’d also like to commend the Children’s Hospital in Minneapolis for granting this family’s last wish for their daughter. The comfort of a dog’s love can be so powerful.

Watch this touching video about their story:

Recent Articles

Interested in learning even more about all things dogs? Get your paws on more great content from iHeartDogs!

Read the Blog

Leave a Comment