Northerner
Admin (Retired)
- Relationship to Diabetes
- Type 1
Ryan Getzy is in his aunt’s back yard playing catch with his new dog, Cooper.
All of a sudden, Cooper lightly taps Ryan’s leg with his paw.
To a visitor, it appears the dog is just showing affection for the 14-year-old Eastlake boy.
But it’s much more than that.
Cooper is a special pet — a 14-month-old English Labrador retriever who is a highly-trained medical alert service dog. The dog rarely leaves the side of Ryan, a mildly autistic boy with Type 1 diabetes.
When Cooper put his paw on Ryan, he was telling him his sugar was too high. (An ideal level for Ryan is 120).
“I tested 486 — he alerted me just like that,” Ryan said proudly.
After Ryan’s mother, Kim DePledge, gave him a quick dose of insulin, he was ready to return outside to continue socializing with his supporters.
http://www.news-herald.com/general-...elps-14-year-old-eastlake-boy-manage-diabetes
All of a sudden, Cooper lightly taps Ryan’s leg with his paw.
To a visitor, it appears the dog is just showing affection for the 14-year-old Eastlake boy.
But it’s much more than that.
Cooper is a special pet — a 14-month-old English Labrador retriever who is a highly-trained medical alert service dog. The dog rarely leaves the side of Ryan, a mildly autistic boy with Type 1 diabetes.
When Cooper put his paw on Ryan, he was telling him his sugar was too high. (An ideal level for Ryan is 120).
“I tested 486 — he alerted me just like that,” Ryan said proudly.
After Ryan’s mother, Kim DePledge, gave him a quick dose of insulin, he was ready to return outside to continue socializing with his supporters.
http://www.news-herald.com/general-...elps-14-year-old-eastlake-boy-manage-diabetes