As soon as Moose the rescue puppy came to live with the Carpios, he fell instantly in love with their son, Noah, who suffers from epilepsy—and the little German shepherd quickly took on the role of the little boy’s guardian angel.
One night, mom Lauren Carpio, 28, was watching Noah sleep via a special camera designed for people with epilepsy when she saw Moose go into her son’s bedroom.
“He walked up to Noah and looked at him and then laid down next to him,” she told The Epoch Times, adding that every night from then on, their loving pup would do exactly the same thing. “He was only a puppy when he started doing it, but he just never stopped. He knew beyond doubt that there was something different about Noah.”
When Noah has a seizure, which can last more than three minutes, Moose stays right by him the whole time.
Mrs. Carpio, her husband, Josh Carpio, 30, and their sons, Roman, 9, and Noah, now 8, live in Sapulpa, Oklahoma. The dog-loving family already had a 2-year-old German shepherd named Chomper when they adopted Moose.
“We weren’t looking for another dog—Chomper was still pretty young and rambunctious,” Mrs. Carpio said.
But when a puppy ad popped up in an online German shepherd group, the young stay-at-home mom, out of curiosity, reached out. It turned out that the lady posting the ad had taken in a set of neglected puppies, including Moose. Just two days later, the Carpios drove to Texas to pick him up.
It was October 2022 when the couple first laid eyes on the purebred German shepherd, and they fell for him instantly.
“[Moose’s] puppy tissue didn’t look too great, and he kind of looked dirty—not like a normal cute puppy. I felt terrible for him,” said Mrs. Carpio, who has adopted strays throughout her life.
“I also knew Chomper would probably love a friend.”
She was right. As soon as the 8-week-old puppy arrived at his new forever home, he settled right in. Not only did he get on great with their other dog, but Moose was very gentle with the two children.
Noah had already been on his own difficult journey by the time the 8-week-old puppy joined the family. He was born prematurely, and, a couple of weeks into his stay in the neonatal intensive care unit, the parents were told their baby had a major heart murmur. At 2 months old, he had his first operation, followed by open-heart surgery when he was 3.
Due to Noah’s brain momentarily being denied oxygen during the procedure, he developed epilepsy and began having seizures.
“He was on bypass longer than they expected,” Mrs. Carpio said. “His brain kind of didn’t have enough oxygen for a little bit, and it caused some damage. In March of 2021, he started having seizures. He'd never had one before so we were terrified. They just never stopped, and [the doctors] told us they probably wouldn’t stop. His emergency medicine has been a lifesaver.”
The condition and subsequent treatment are hard for young Noah, whose mom describes him as “the sweetest boy” who is shy but smart, loves to read and play video games, and adores his two dogs.
During Thanksgiving break last year, Noah underwent a week-long stay for testing in a hospital in Tennessee.
“He’s been in the hospital a lot and misses out on a lot,” his mom said, adding that having the loyal presence of Moose at home has been “amazing … the best thing ever” for the little boy and his family.
“He brings a lot of joy to Noah, for sure. He’s fun. He’s silly. But he also has that protective side for Noah.”
“He is one of the funniest dogs I think I’ve ever met,” Mrs. Carpio said. “I mean, he is not the smartest dog in other regards. He’s been through training, but he is probably the goofiest dog I’ve ever met in my entire life.
