The bond between a dog and their human is amazing – we would even go so far as to call it mystifying at times. Sadie, the child in the photo below, was born with type one diabetes and Downs Syndrome. In order for Sadie to be at her best at all times, her blood sugar levels must be monitored constantly. However, the four-year-old needs a little help communicating when things start to feel “off.” Luckily, she has the best kind of help: a Labrador named Hero. Not only is he an amazing and loyal companion, he is also a lifesaver. Whenever Sadie’s blood sugar is abnormal, he’s the first to alert others. Sadie’s mom told KUTV News how it works: “I’ll hold out my hands and say, what is it? and he’ll … paw my left hand for a low, and he’ll nose my right hand for a high.”
Hero’s incredible sense of smell allows for him to detect if something is off with Sadie’s blood sugar for up to two miles away, but one day, when his human was five miles away at school, he started to cry.
Sadie’s mom felt something was off and called the school to check up on her. Sure enough, her blood sugar levels were beginning to drop.
Without Hero, Sadie’s blood sugar was at risk of falling to dangerous lows. Sadie’s mom explained, “(with) lows, she could go into a diabetic coma right away, and she could die, if we kept her low too long.”
That day, Hero truly lived up to his name. It’s a mystery how he was able to detect that his little human’s blood sugars were falling from so far away, but it speaks volumes about the powerful bond that we share with dogs. We’re so glad that Sadie has a friend like Hero to help keep her safe.
Source:
onegreenplanet.org
