Woman disguises dog as baby to sneak in to sick grandmother in hospital
A granddaughter's heartwarming gesture for her ill grandmother in hospital has shocked and delighted many around the world.
Shelby Hennick, 21, from California smuggled her grandmother's beloved pet into the facility, disguising it as a baby, as the ill woman wanted to see the pup.
Ms Hennick posted a series of pictures to Twitter on June 12 along with the tweet: "My grandma is in the hospital right now and wanted to see her dog. So I made it look like I was carrying a baby and we made it"
A couple of the images online show the young woman, said to be a veterinarian, with a blanket draped over the dog and perfectly positioned as if she were holding a sleeping baby.
In one picture her grandmother is lying in her hospital bed and cuddling her pooch.
The tweet shared earlier in the week has been retweeted 130,000 times and favorited more than 542,000 times.
New analytics shared by Shelby Hennick in the past couple of hours show that her post has been seen more than 21 million times on Twitter.
According to KSDK, the 21-year-old's grandmother, named Donna, was almost paralysed after having a bad reaction to one of her medications.
The outlet reports that the woman has had the dog Patsy for about 13 years and since the visit she is doing better.
The young woman has told media outlets that she had the blanket in her car but the gesture was her mother's idea.
Donna was also deceived by the blanket originally - reportedly thinking it was her nephew bundled up when she arrived at the facility.
Ms Hennick's gesture has received mixed reactions online.
One user wrote: "i really wish i could have done that with my grandma before she died, she loved her dog so much and we tried to sneak him in but couldnt (sic)."
Another even shared a picture of their attempt to do the same thing for a family member - "Did the same thing for my grandpa when he was in the hospital but ours wasn't as easy to sneak in"
But while many think her actions are kind others are not so supportive.
One wrote: "There are rules for a reason...many ppl are already sick or have compromised immune systems..you can get over it, they may not"
Another said: "Not very hygienic is it? I could understand you taking it to a garden in hospital, then take your relative in wheelchair to see it."
Ms Hennick responded saying service dogs are allowed in some facilities.
And many online users stood up for her.
One said: 'But I bet it will improve her outlook. If not her health. Hope she gets well. #dogsarepeopletoo"
Another woman supporting Ms Hennick said: "They actually do let dogs in, i.e. Therapy dogs, emotional support, service dogs, etc. I was in the hospital 3 wks ago. They let a lady keep her emotional support dog with her in her room. They came to visit me when they heard I missed my dog."
She continued: "If they snuck the dog in and nobody found out, the dog is obvi well behaved."
No doubt its a gesture Donna won't be forgetting any time soon.
