Moonlight Transformation
Gian felt her heartbeat pounding in her throat. Checkers was normally such an obedient and quiet dog, and he was great with the kids. But that night, it was like he was an entirely different animal.
He barked and barked and kept the family awake all night, plus he seemed way more aggressive. But when she discovered why, adrenaline flooded her system and panic set in deeper. She knew she had to get the kids out of the house as soon as possible. Time was running out.
Couldn’t Resist
Gina Gerrity had never been much of a dog person. But when she saw the Facebook post saying that Checkers needed a new home, she just couldn’t resist.
The kids fell in love with him instantly - especially little Marie - and he was so gentle with them. But his behavior was about to take a serious turn for the worst.
Low Growl
When they picked him up from the shelter, there was no indication that Checkers was a dangerous dog. His previous owner had passed away suddenly, and the shelter didn’t offer much information about him.
It was when the dog was left alone that he started to growl and walk in circles. Then one night, things got seriously out of control.
Wake Up Call
Gian woke with a start to the sound of loud barking. It was 3 am. The mother-of-three got out of bed to see what the matter was, but Checkers was just sitting on the floor staring up at her like nothing had happened. Had she imagined it?
But an hour later, there was the barking again. And a shiver crept up Gian’s spine.
Ignoring The Noise
Gian pulled the pillow over her ears and tried her hardest to ignore Checkers barking so she could drift back to sleep. But her dog wouldn’t stop. She shouted down to Checkers, telling him to be quiet and to go back to bed, but Checkers kept barking.
Then all of a sudden, the barking stopped. Gian’s eyes flashed wide open. She was going to get up and look, but instead, she fell back to sleep. Only it was far from over.
Not Himself
The following morning, as Gian dished up breakfast for her family, she noticed that Checkers was a lot quieter than usual. By now, he’d normally be racing around the kitchen, drooling over the smell of bacon and eggs. But not today.
Checkers was sat in the garden staring into the distance. She couldn’t be 100% sure, but it looked like Checkers was crying. Gian’s heart sank. She had to find out the truth.
Bedtime Story
Later that day, Gian was reading her youngest daughter a bedtime story when she noticed something in the hallway. The door to the attic was left open.
Why was it open? Gian hadn’t been up there since she put the Christmas decorations away in January. Her kids were not able to reach it, so who had gone up there? Suddenly a terrible feeling hit the pit of Gian’s stomach.
A Strange Sight To See
Gian dismissed her feelings of apprehension and anxiety, and carried on reading her daughter the bedtime story. But just as she turned the last page in the book, she noticed something on her daughter’s arm.
A shiver crept up Gian’s spine.
Where Had It Come From?
“What’s this?” Gian asked her daughter. “It’s nothing,” her daughter replied, grabbing the duvet and covering herself in it. It looked like a bruise on her daughter's arm. What was this? And how did she get it?
Gian’s maternal instinct kicked in and she knew she had to find out the truth. But then something happened. And nothing was ever the same again.
Making Her Way Downstairs
Just as Gian was about to find out the truth about the mysterious mark on her daughter’s arm, Checkers’ bark echoed throughout their home. Piercing the silence in the air, his bark was a lot more vicious this time.
This was it. Gian had had enough with her dog’s barking and behavior. She left her daughter’s bedroom and made her way downstairs to find Checkers. But she would find something else that would leave her lost for words.
Creepy Crawlies
The confused mom made her way to Checkers and discovered something under his paw. A piece of wool from her knitting bag had found its way onto the floor and spooked the poor pup - probably because it resembled a spider.
Gian picked it up and laughed. She was relieved the whole incident had such a silly conclusion. But this wasn’t the end. More surprises were to come. And they would turn Gian’s world upside down.
Needing To Know The Truth
Gian made her way back up to her daughter's room to find out the truth. She asked her daughter again where the mark had come from, but she just shrugged it off.
She nestled into her bed and asked if she could go to sleep. Gian was hesitant at first. “We’ll discuss this again in the morning,” the worried mom whispered into her daughter's ear. Gian left the room and made her way to bed. She just wanted this day to be over. But she had no idea what was coming next.
Somebody In The House?
It was around 3 am when Gian woke up to the sound of footsteps. Her heart sank as her ears listened out for the sound of pitter-patter on the floor. Was it Checkers? Normally you could hear his claws on the floor, but this time it sounded like a footstep. An actual human footstep.
Slowly, Gian turned around to face her bedroom door. She had no idea what, or who was on the other side. But she had to be quick for the sake of her kids.
‘Down Boy!’
Suddenly, she heard Checkers barking again. Slowly but surely, she made her way to the bedroom door and as she opened it she saw Checkers sat with his tongue out.
The surprise at seeing her huge dog behind her door caused her to let out a yelp and it sent the dog zooming around the house - just as her youngest had stepped out of her room to see what was going on. And things were about to get even stranger.
Staring Eyes
When Checkers saw little Marie standing in the corridor, he stopped cold. Marie loved Checkers, but his energy was way too high to be around such a small girl.
Gina saw the dog staring down her daughter and reacted. “Checkers!” she called out, sending him darting in the other direction. Then, the protective mom decided to do something she never expected she’d have to.
Covert Camera
After making sure all the kids were safely in their rooms, Gina settled the dog back down in the living room, but this time, she set up a wi-fi security camera that they used to keep an eye on the house when they went on vacation.
When she saw the footage the next morning, she grabbed the kids and left the house as fast as she could.
Danger!
Gina’s mind was running wild. This would never have happened if she hadn’t seen that Facebook post; if they’d just got a puppy from the pet store rather than bring an animal they knew nothing about into her family’s home.
Leaving her kids outside where they would be safe, Gina marched back into the house to deal with Checkers.
Fire Alarm
The footage showed that Checkers had been spooked by a sparking extension plug socket, overloaded by the new air purifier that had been left on overnight.
Checkers was alerting Gina to the fire hazard, and if she’d left it one more night, it could have resulted in her whole house going up in flames.
Hero’s Reward
The very next day, the family took Checkers to the dog park and treated him to a fresh chicken leg to gnaw on.
“I was really worried there for a second,” admitted Gina. “I thought Checkers was going to have to go for the safety of my kids. But when I realized he was just trying to protect us, I fell in love with him even more.”
Safety First
Gina hired a professional electrician to do a full inspection of the house before the kids were allowed to sleep in it again.
Are you overloading extension sockets with too many appliances? If you are, you’d better get them checked out. Not everyone can count on a hero dog to alert them of a potential fire.