“Sometimes,” Reynolds said, addressing the crowd, “heroes come in unexpected forms. Today, a little girl is safe because one dog paid attention when no one else could.”

Lily and her parents attended, too. The moment Lily saw Sunny, she broke into a smile and ran to hug him. Sunny licked her face, his tail wagging wildly.

“See?” Eleanor whispered to Parker. “That’s the cheerfulness I saw in him. He knew he had a purpose.”

From that day on, Lily often visited Eleanor and Sunny. The little girl and the golden retriever became inseparable playmates. Eleanor, who had lived alone for years, found her quiet house filled with laughter again.

And whenever people asked about the day Sunny became overly cheerful, Eleanor would smile and say, “Sometimes joy means more than we realize. Sometimes it means there’s someone out there who needs us.”