Heroes can come in any form and in any condition

Norman, a courageous yellow Labrador Retriever who saved the life of a girl

Norman’s heartwarming story

Norman was abandoned by his previous owners and then was taken to an animal shelter. Thankfully, a couple named Annette and Steve McDonalds rescued him from the shelter the day before he was scheduled to be euthanized.

Shortly after bringing home Norman, the couple noticed there was something wrong with his eyesight. They took him to the vet and found out that he had Retinal Atrophy, a genetic disease with no cure, which would then cause blindness.

After a few years, Norman went permanently blind, but his blindness didn’t hold him back. He was adapting fine to his condition and was still able to run and play just like any other dog his age.

One summer day in July 1996, Lisa Nibley and her brother, Joe, were swimming in the Necanicum when the tide suddenly changed. Joe managed to get out of the water, but Lisa became caught in a strong current and was being swept upstream. She was in trouble and exhausted from struggling, but no one could hear her screams for help.

As luck would have it, Annette had stayed home from work that day and took Norman for a walk on the beach. Somehow, he heard Lisa, and suddenly bolted away from Annette, ran over 100 yards, jumped in the water, and swam toward the struggling girl. Annette caught up and yelled to Lisa to call Norman so he could find her by the sound of her voice. Once Norman located Lisa, he towed her to shore, guided by Annette’s voice.

“I knew he was my guardian angel,” Lisa said, “and someone had sent him to save me.”

News of Norman’s heroism traveled far outside of Clatsop County, and he and Lisa were featured on the cover and in a story in the July 14, 1997 “Hero Pets!” issue of People magazine.

“It really was a miracle how it all came together,” Annette recalled. “Maybe God does that to get your attention, and maybe to humble us a little.”

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