It was Cap, a sheepdog, who inspired Florence Nightingale to become a nurse and make huge changes to the now professional field.
In 1837, some mischievous boys threw stones at Cap who was napping on a doorstep. One stone hit his leg, causing so much pain that he could not put his leg down on the ground. Roger, the shepherd who owned Cap, knew his leg had to be broken and he would no longer be able to perform his job taking care of the sheep. Because Roger was so poor, he could not afford to keep the dog as a pet so his plan was to hang him.
Fortunately, 17 year old Florence Nightingale and a local clergyman stopped by Roger's place and learned about Cap. The clergyman examined the dog's leg and told the others he did not have a broken bone. It was just badly bruised and warm compresses could help him get better. Florence offered to take care of Cap. Every day she would apply warm compresses made of old flannel to his injured leg, and in no time Cap was back to his normal self.
The work she performed was gratifying, and Florence believed this was a sign from God telling her to devote her life to healing others. She later trained as a nurse, and went on to turn nursing into a respectable profession.
