The dog who saved Christmas twice: a true story of a rescued Labrador

Some dogs are a true Christmas miracle. We can be grateful for them, even when they're rubbing our noses in it. They always prove that they are man's best friend!

In Allan Zullo’s The Dog Who Saved Christmas and Other True Animal Tales, there are several true stories of animals that made a lasting impression as the holiday approached. In the following excerpt, you’ll read Cinnamon’s great and touching story.

“Watching the way the Lab was interacting with them, Karen and her daughters agreed this dog was the one. When they brought her home, they named her Cinnamon. The once-abused Lab thrived in the Websters’ home, getting more love in a single day than she had received in the first two years of her life.

That’s not to say she was a perfect dog. Far from it. Sometimes she would jump in the pool, get out, roll around in the garden, and gallop through the open patio door, leaving a trail of muddy paw prints on the tile floor. She also would leap into the water and splash the girls whenever they were floating on their inflatable rafts. Once, she tried to crawl onto their rafts, only to puncture holes with her claws.

The family lost count of the number of times her wagging, powerful tail knocked over a can of soda that had been sitting on the coffee table in the family room. And no one could tally how often Cinnamon tried to snatch the remains of a sandwich left unattended on the kitchen table. But all was forgiven, especially after the crisis that Karen and the girls faced in early December 2001. Their local church had raised nearly two thousand dollars to spend on Christmas gifts for the children of ten needy families. Karen was given the money so she and the girls could buy the presents. On the morning of their scheduled shopping spree, they were getting ready when Karen bellowed in anguish, “I can’t find the money!”
“You’re joking, right?” said Emily.
“No,” Karen declared. “I’ve lost the black leather moneybag that held all the money. I’ve looked everywhere. Girls, I need you to help me find it.”

“Don’t panic, Mom. Just retrace your steps. When did you last have it?”
“Pastor Richardson handed it to me last night at the church hall. I put it in my coat pocket and then drove home. When I walked in the house, I was bombarded by everyone. Emily, you insisted I play the piano so you could practice your solo at the school holiday show. Ellie, you dragged me into your room to help wrap a present. And then I helped Dad chase Cinnamon, who was all wet from jumping in the pool. With all that going on, I didn’t think any more about the money. I assumed the moneybag was still in my coat pocket this morning, but it’s not there. I’ve looked everywhere.”
“Don’t worry, Mom,” said Ellie. “We’ll find it.”
“What am I going to do?” Karen fretted. She slumped in a chair at the kitchen table and buried her head in her hands. “I feel sick to my stomach. The church entrusted me with the money and I lost it. If I don’t find it, I’ll have to come up with two thou- sand dollars out of our savings account. I can’t let the church or those needy children down. What a terrible Christmas this is going to be for us.”

The three of them searched everywhere in the house and then combed the yard until…
“Mom! Mom!” Ellie shouted. “We found it! We found the money!”
“What? Where?”
“Actually, Cinnamon found it,” said Emily. “Look.”
The Lab was sitting down in front of Karen’s car in the driveway, wagging her tail, and holding the missing moneybag in her mouth. Karen ran over to her, took the moneybag, zipped it open, and counted the money. She let out a big whew and said, “Oh, thank goodness. It’s all here.”
Ellie hugged Cinnamon and said, “Way to go, girl!”
“Where did she find it?” Karen asked.
“We were in the driveway walking to your car to check inside again when Cinnamon came over from the passenger’s side,” Emily explained. “She was sniffing the grass by the edge of the driveway and then she picked up the moneybag.”
“I think I know what happened,” said Karen. “When I got out of the car last night, I went around to the passenger’s side to bring in the clothes I had picked up at the dry cleaners. My cell phone rang and I reached in my coat pocket to answer it, and that’s when the moneybag must have fallen out.”

She bent over and gave Cinnamon a big smooch on the nose. “Oh, you are a wonderful dog. You just saved Christmas for a bunch of families.”
For the next week, Karen gave the dog extra treats – even grilling a hamburger especially for her – because “nothing is too good for my Cinnamon.”
After completing their shopping spree, Karen and the girls wrapped toys, clothes, and games for the needy children. “This is turning into a great Christmas,” said Ellie.
“Yeah, thanks to Cinnamon,” Emily said.
Shopping for the disadvantaged kids had put the family in the true holiday spirit. In the afternoon of December 24, Frank and the girls delivered the gifts to the families while Karen stayed home to prepare their special Christmas Eve dinner of pork roast, sweet potatoes, greenbean casserole, and pumpkin pie. She was glad to remain inside because it was unseasonably cold for central Florida.

When she heard the weather forecast on the radio calling for temperatures to dip into the mid-twenties overnight, she decided to cover her delicate plants around the pool area before it got dark. Karen, who hated to feel cold, was wearing sweatpants over leggings and a flannel shirt under a Florida State sweatshirt. Before stepping outside, she put on a fleece-lined winter jacket and hiking boots and then gathered several old sheets.

A blustery breeze made the overcast day seem much colder than the forty-degree temperature of the air. “We need to move south for the winter,” she joked to Cinnamon.

While the dog followed her around the patio area, Karen spread sheets over the flowers to protect them from frost. She was draping a sheet on her small potted orange tree next to the pool when a gust lifted the sheet and blew it in her face. She backpedaled, lost her balance, and toppled backward into the pool, plunging into the deep end. She sank quickly and was six feet under the surface when her feet hit the bottom

Karen, who was not a good swimmer, frantically tried to claw at the water, hoping to work her way to the top. But she could hardly budge because her layers of clothing were soaked and weighed her down, restricting her movements. She was ready to give up. I can’t believe I’m going to drown here in my own swim- ming pool, she thought. What a horrible time to die-right before Christmas.

Above her, she saw the blurry outline of Cinnamon, running back and forth along the edge of the pool. Through the water, she heard the muffled sounds of the dog’s frantic barking.

I can’t hold out much longer. As Karen began to pray, she saw a big splash above her. Cinnamon! The dog-paddling Lab circled around the woman’s head for a few seconds, then stopped and dipped her hindquarters. Closer, closer. I’m almost out of breath. Reaching up, Karen grabbed the end of the dog’s sturdy tail – the tail that had knocked down Karen’s one-year-old niece the previous week and overturned a bowl of chips on the coffee table a day later.

But today, the tail that had brought trouble for Cinnamon was now a lifeline to the person she loved. When Karen clutched the tail, the dog began swimming with all her might, towing the drowning woman toward the shallow end. It wasn’t easy. The 70-pound dog was pulling about 265 pounds – nearly four times her own weight. Cinnamon never stopped paddling as she dragged her owner closer to the shallow end.

By now, Karen was out of air and her lungs felt on fire. Her body was protesting until she could no longer keep her mouth clenched. Just as she started to take in water, she felt her feet touch the shallow end and, with one desperate effort, she thrust her head above the surface and gulped in fresh air. But because she had swallowed water, too, she hacked, coughed, and sputtered for several minutes.
I’m not going to die!

With Cinnamon’s help, the woman struggled to the stairs and collapsed, retching and coughing up the last of the water that she had consumed. Cinnamon stayed by her side, licking her face until she had regained her strength.

As Karen staggered out of the pool, Frank and the girls arrived. They rushed over to the soaked, shivering woman and helped her inside. Exhausted from her ordeal, Karen explained to them what had happened. When she finished, she said, “If Cinnamon hadn’t come to my rescue, I would have drowned.” The wet dog rubbed against her legs and gave a little ruff.
“Your heroism was the best Christmas present I ever received,” Karen said.
Emily threw her arms around Cinnamon and added, “Imagine that, Cinnamon. You’re the dog who saved Christmas-twice!”

If you enjoyed the special story in our book recommendation and are interested in other true stories about Christmas, dogs, and other animals, this book is perfect for you. Happy Holidays!