When our daughter Zoey was born, everything changed — for the better. My wife and I were exhausted but thrilled. We even joked our golden retriever, Beau, thought Zoey was his puppy. He watched over her constantly. At first, we found it sweet. But things shifted when we hired Claire, a calm, sweet nanny who came highly recommended. Beau hated her instantly.

He growled, barked, blocked her from picking up Zoey, and even bared his teeth once. Claire kept texting us about his behavior, and soon, concern turned into fear. We were sleep-deprived and stressed, and after one especially bad incident, we seriously considered rehoming him — something that broke our hearts. Then one night, Claire called, panicked, claiming Beau had tried to attack her while she was holding Zoey. We rushed home. Something didn’t sit right with me, so I checked our security footage.

What I saw made my blood run cold.Claire had set up a livestream using a tablet she hid behind the couch. She was broadcasting Zoey’s bedtime routine to strangers online, chatting and smiling for the camera. Then, Zoey began coughing and choking — and Claire didn’t notice.

She had earbuds in and was glued to the screen. It was Beau who sprang into action, barking, nudging the crib, and finally snapping at Claire — not to hurt her, but to make her pay attention. He saved our daughter. We fired Claire immediately, reported her, and contacted the agency. As for Beau? We got him a silver tag that reads: “Zoey’s Guardian.” He’s still by her side, always watching — but now, we listen. Because he was never the problem. He was the protector all along.