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Dog finds fallen 92-year-old blind man, alerts neighbors

The bond between canines and humans is unmistakable, and that's a very good thing for one Wake Forest man.

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By
Bryan Mims
, WRAL reporter
WAKE FOREST, N.C. — The bond between canines and humans is unmistakable, and that's a very good thing for one Wake Forest man.

Gracie, an-11-year-old chihuahua-dachshund mix, found a home with Mary Violante, who adopted her from a pet rescue organization.

One afternoon recently, Violante says Gracie wouldn't stop barking, and knew something must be wrong.

"She was just barking and barking, a bark that I had not heard before," Violante said.

Violante was chatting with a friend in the courtyard of her independent-living community in Wake Forest, when those barks caught her attention.

"She barks a lot but this was one I had not heard before. I think she was trying to tell me something," she said.

What Gracie had discovered was 92-year-old John Ball, who is blind, and had fallen down on his outdoor patio. Ball says he was just enjoying a day outside, when he lost his balance.

"I made an awkward move, and being vertically challenged, I lost my balance," he said.

Ball was now lying on the concrete, unable to get up.

Nobody was in the courtyard, except for Gracie, who wasn't going to let the incident go unnoticed.

"I came around the corner here, around the bushes, and there lay Mr. John on the ground," Violante said. "He was waving and trying to draw attention."

Violante immediately called 911. Ball's arm was bleeding, his back was bruised, but he required no trip to the hospital.

"My other wounds? My ego," Ball joked.

Ball bought Gracie a balloon and 'thank you' card, saying Lassie would be proud.

"Now Gracie has outshined Lassie," Ball said.

She had once been rescued, lifted up after falling into the wrong hands. Call it instinct -- or just loving us back -- but this amazing dog named Gracie unleashed a sweet sound in all that barking.

And now she's found a new best friend. Gracie now comes by regularly to check in on Doctor Ball -- best friends indeed!

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