Families strolled around, children played, and some people simply enjoyed the weather.
I was sitting on a wooden bench with a coffee in my hands when I saw a family near the shore.
A small child explored the area while his parents arranged the picnic items.
Nothing seemed out of place.
Until I heard the first scream.
It was a sound that immediately cut through the atmosphere.
A huge German Shepherd came running out of the trees.
The animal’s speed made everyone turn around.
It looked like he was heading straight for the child.
My first reaction was the same as most of the people around me.
We thought we were witnessing an attack.
The father ran.
The mother screamed.
I left the coffee and went towards them thinking about how to avoid a tragedy.
The dog reached the little boy and knocked him down on the wet grass.
For a few seconds, the scene seemed impossible to interpret in any other way.
A frightened child.
A huge animal on top of him.
People running around not knowing what to do.
Fear took control.
As a paramedic, my mind began to calculate risks.
I thought about wounds, bites, and the safest way to separate the animal.
But when I got closer, I noticed something that didn’t fit.
The dog was not attacking.
There were no bites.
He wasn’t focused on the child.
His eyes were fixed elsewhere.
The reeds by the water.
The German Shepherd’s entire body was prepared to react, but not against the little one.
It was acting as a barrier.
As if he were telling everyone not to move forward.
