**Diary Entry 15th March**
Its a tale thats weighed heavy on my mind since I first heard ita story of despair and an unlikely act of bravery in a quiet Yorkshire village nestled by the River Wharfe. A young lass, Emily Whitaker, born into hardship with barely two pennies to rub together, made a choice no mother should ever face. In her desperation, she placed her newborn babe, little Charlotte, into a wicker basket and set her adrift on the cold, rushing waters. A heart-wrenching decision, one made in shadows, hoping the river would carry the burden away.
But fate had other plans. A stray Border Collie, scruffy and oft overlooked, had made the village market his home. Spotting the basket bobbing dangerously in the current, the dogwithout a second thoughtplunged into the icy flow. The villagers watched, breath held, as the collie fought the current, gripping the basket gently in its jaws. Most expected it to drag the child ashore and leave it be.
Yet what happened next left even the sternest among us speechless. The dog didnt stop at the bankit trotted straight to the cottage of Mrs. Hodgson, the local midwife, barking insistently till she rushed outside. Recognising the babes peril, she wrapped Charlotte in blankets while others rang for help. Social services took the child in, unharmed by some miracle, while Emily now faces the laws stern hand.
As for the collie? Once just another stray scrounging scraps, hes now called “The Wharfe Guardian.” The villagers built him a proper kennel near the pub, and hes never short of a meal or a pat on the head.
Its left us all questioninghow could we, as a village, let poverty drive a mother to such despair? And what does it say of us when a dog, asking for nowt but a bit of kindness, shows more courage than most men? The lessons clear as day: true heroism doesnt wear a crown. Sometimes, its got four paws and a heart bigger than any of ours.
