Speed-Oh! Saved My Husband’s Life!
or Why Dogs Should Sleep in Your Bed
By Roz Granitz

I share my life with my husband and four Aussies (Australian Shepherd Dogs).  When bedtime comes, we all find our place to sleep, sometimes all of us in our king sized bed.  But, usually it is Speed-Oh! curled up next to my stomach and Coffee snuggled up to my back, between me and my husband. The other two, Brava and Eureka! are curled up in their own dog beds at the foot of our bed.  That was the arrangement when we went to sleep on March 23rd.  At about four o’clock in the morning, I was awakened by a slurping, licking sound.  In a fog, I turned toward the source of the noise and saw Speed-Oh! standing over my husband furiously licking his face.  What was he doing?  It took me a few seconds to realize that Speed-Oh! was trying to wake him up.  My husband is a diabetic.  I too tried to get my husband to wake up and though he was making some strange sounds and speaking incoherently, waking him was impossible. I jumped out of bed and called 911. 

The EMTs arrived within minutes.  They assessed the problem and gave my husband an I.V. of fast-acting glucose.  He was in diabetic shock, and his glucose level had fallen to just 23!  (The normal range is between 80 and 120.)  Luckily, the glucose worked.  My husband regained consciousness and actually thought he was dreaming when he saw four men in our bedroom. He had no idea what had happened. 

From that day on, we have called Speed-Oh! our hero.  Why he knew something was wrong -- while my other three contently slept -- is a mystery.  I do know that dogs are being trained to alert diabetic owners that their glucose level is dropping, but Speed-Oh! has a natural talent for this job.  We are so lucky that he is a part of our lives. Without Speed-Oh! the outcome to this story would have been quite different.  Brain damage or even death are a real possibilities when your glucose level drops to dangerous levels.  Speed-Oh! saved my husband’s life!

Speed-Oh! has been nominated by his breeder, Joan Skillman for an ACE Award (AKC Award for Canine Excellence).  The AKC has presented Speed-Oh! with a certificate of “recognition of dogs in the service of mankind”.  Only five ACE awards are given each year and Speed-Oh! is being considered for this award. 

I feel as if I’m already a winner.  All of you know how great it is to share your life with a dog.  They are truly amazing animals.  It doesn’t really matter how many ribbons we collect.  It’s the depth of our relationship that counts.  To live with a dog that is so in tune with us and that has the ability to recognize the subtle change in body chemistry is a blessing. That he has been nominated for this prestigious award is just icing on the cake!

My Special Service Dogs
“Pepsea even saved my life from a medication reaction from an antibiotic.”
By Carol Sundell

It was 12 years ago this past August that I sustained a spinal cord injury caused by a drunk driver. My gait became unsteady and I had to rely on a wheelchair to go distances, or a walker which allowed me to stop and rest. Over time the use of a walker became more difficult as the condition of my legs worsened. At the time of my accident I had two Dalmatians, Pebbles and Brandywine. After my first spinal accident, Brandywine would guide me up into bed. Pebbles and Brandywine would get on both sides of me and steady me around the house. When they both died a year apart I missed my companions for what they did to assist me every day in my life. They were never certified as service dogs because I was not familiar with the requirements. However, they helped me and gave me the idea to eventually train and certify a new Dalmatian so that can go everywhere with me.

I looked around at various breeders and finally I found a liver and white Dalmatian from Bret D Dalmatians. The breeder offered to show him and let me manage the service dog training. We named the little six-month-old dog Bret D Lord Pepsea of Sundell (Pepsea for short). Pepsea had an impressive 4 point major his first weekend out and achieved a non-sporting puppy and junior sweepstake win. It appeared that we had a little show dog coming up the ranks. Over time I had to make a decision to neuter him, store sperm and place him 100% in the service dog program or continue to show him. I needed a service dog so I placed Pepsea in an owner/trainer program.  He retired from the show ring with 7 points and 1 major and two Best in Sweepstakes wins, non-sporting puppy, and best opposite.

Pepsea was starting to pick items up for me when I brought him home after my second spinal surgery. However, many programs were reluctant to accept a Dalmatian as they sometimes had a negative perception from the movie industry. Pepsea allowed me to steady myself slightly on him, walking next to the walker when he started his training. Although the service dog program that we ultimately got Pepsea into was initially reluctant to train a Dalmatian, they finally did.

Pepsea flew through the program; while a little strong-headed at times he loves to work. Pepsea embarked on being the first Dalmatian in the country certified for mobility impaired work, a title he still carries. He opens doors with the handicapped button, picks up and retrieves items and goes to a phone in an emergency if I happen to fall. I steady myself on him when going short distances. At home Pepsea has chores such as assisting me with laundry and vacuuming. Pepsea has quite a following in public and is well known.

Just shortly after Pepsea was certified (not once but twice) for the program and passed at 100%, his photo was in the International Association of Assistance Dog Partners (IAADP) newsletter that was distributed to India, Japan and other countries around the world showing his service capability of opening a handicapped door button. He has also been acknowledged in books for service dogs and has helped his owner with lectures about what service dogs can do in the community. He is currently being considered for an AKC ACE award.

Pepsea also saved my life from a medication reaction from an antibiotic. My physician had instructed me to take a Benadryl and call him if I didn't improve from hives I was getting. After I took the Benadryl the reaction caused my air level to accelerate. I couldn't wake up and Pepsea repeatedly jumped at me and knocked at my chair to awaken and alert me, just enough to get to the emergency room for further medical care.

Currently, I'm training a Collie as a back-up to help Pepsea out in some ‘downtime’ so he can do other things. We want him to work on an obedience title or rally title. This Collie has a special gift to detect cancer. It took me about eight to ten months to figure out why this dog was acting differently in public, as compared to most dogs. It was because he began detecting cancer in strangers. To date, Air Lord Shepherd of Sundell (Shep) has detected cancer in ten people -- it has been confirmed that they either have it and didn't know it or were undergoing treatment. Just the other day, a woman thanked me for Shep’s intuitive behavior.  She went in for a colonoscopy after my dog wouldn't let her pet him and they found her colon full of cancer. They did surgery, got 95% of the cancer and expect treatments to cure the rest. It is not unusual to have people ask me if my dog senses something  I would rather not respond and just quietly work my ‘cancer detection dog’ in public as a service dog.

I'm very blessed to have two wonderful service dogs in my life and at my side daily while working in the community that I live. I'm even more blessed that my first certified service dog was a liver and white Dalmatian. I’ve been able to finally put to rest the rumor that Dalmatians don't make good service dogs (when they actually do), and that they do well alongside a wheelchair and while working in public. 

I hope that someday during my lifetime I can see my Pepsea end up with the AKC ACE Award for his service as a service dog and community liaison for service dog programs. I’d like to see Shep to win the same award for his ability to detect cancer in strangers in public. 

Angel Tharapy
“She has taken my mind off my pain and given me a reason to keep on trying.”
By Sherri Stanczak

My youngest son recently told me that he was going to move out in a few months.  This is his first year of college and he claims that he wants to experience his independence.  Even though I’m very proud of him for working, saving money and wanting to be on his own, it still makes me feel sad.  All three of my boys will be on their own now.  Not only am I going through empty-nest syndrome, but I am also faced with a lot of health issues. I was diagnosed with Multiple Sclerosis (M.S.) in 1989 and I have had quite a few setbacks throughout the years.  However, within the last four years, it has progressed.  In fact, I have to give myself interferon shots threetimes a week.  I also have a rare spinal condition, along with Spina Bifida.  It paralyzed my right leg in 2003 and I had to have critical spinal surgery that left permanent damage to my sciatic nerve.  I have lived with chronic pain ever since.  I’m on so much medication now, including morphine, that I’m not able to work or drive anymore.
           
A Yorkshire Terrier breeder who works with my dad learned about my condition and decided that I needed a puppy. He used to be a big fan of large dogs until his wife interested him in this special breed of dog. They have four of their own and after their last litter, he gave me one of these expensive, beautiful dogs.  I fell in love with her the moment I saw her.  She was so spunky and so darn cute!
           
I named my puppy “Angel” and she has truly been an angel in my life.  Not only does she make me laugh with her adorable little ways, but she also makes my heart melt, the way she looks at me and how she cuddles up next to my sickly body.

About a month ago, I had a difficult time with my M.S. and a nurse came out to the house and put an intravenous steroid tube in me.  Once she put the I.V. in, I had to inject my medication each day afterward.  Angel knew something was wrong with me.  She almost had a concerned look on her face.  She would stare at the I. V. and then check out my arm - back and forth for a long time, she studied the situation.  Then she would come up on the couch with me and lick my arm, never leaving my side the whole time.  She was such a comfort to me.

Another day, when I was having a bad time and the pain was so severe, I began crying.  Angel jumped up on my lap, trying to figure out what to do for me.  I couldn’t believe it when she actually began licking my tears.  I couldn’t help but smile.  What a special puppy I have!  She definitely is an angel.  She has blessed my life so much in so many ways.

When I first talked to my husband, Mike, about getting a puppy, he was against it.  It crushed him when his last few dogs died.  He didn’t want to go through that again and he wanted to spare me from going through it too.  He also felt like we are on the go so much: boating, flying and other activities on the weekends.  It took me a while to convince him that I needed this to fill my long days while he was at work.  I also told him that we could take Angel boating and other places with us.  She wouldn’t slow us down at all. 
           
Angel knew what she was doing when she won Mike over.  She meets him at the door with the warmest greeting every day.  She also wakes him up each morning with so much excitement.  As her tiny tail wags, she dances in a circle on her hind legs and pats his leg with her front paws.  He can’t resist bending over to pet her.  That’s when she proceeds to jump in his arms and lick his face and hands.  No one has ever been that excited to see him.  She hasn’t slowed us down and has become quite a boating dog. 
           
Angel has definitely livened up our home and has given me a reason to get out of bed -- especially, on those mornings when the pain is so great and it’s hard to just get up.  She gives me this “good morning” greeting that couldn’t be replaced.  Since I have gotten her, I have even been able to quit taking two of my medications.  She has a tendency to keep me a little more active that I used to be and she has put a permanent smile on my face.  They actually say that laughter is the best medicine.  Angel has taken my mind off of my pain and she has given me a reason to keep on trying.  She has been really great therapy for me.
           
I really do believe in angels.  I believe God puts them here on earth to help us through our trials and guide us in the right direction.  My Angel has definitely done that for me.  She has been a true inspiration in my life.  I am thankful to Gene and Beth Fischer (the breeders who gave me the dog) and my mom and dad, Walt & Elna Andrews for making this happen for me.  I am also thankful for my husband, Mike, for responding to my special needs.  Of course, Angel has her own way of thanking him every day. 
           
They say that you should actually study dog breeds before you get one.  However, if I were to recommend a breed of dog to anyone, I would definitely recommend the Yorkshire Terrier.  I believe that this breed can adapt to almost anyone.  Not only has she won over my husband and me, my parents, and my sons, but she is also wonderful with my two little granddaughters. 

What a special dog I have - my Angel.

Kayla’s Comfort Helps a Woman Overcome her Fear of Dogs
“She knew something was wrong, even though I thought I just had backache.”
By Ali Varallo

We just lost our nine year-old Rottweiler, Kayla.  She was AKC registered under the name "Ekaterina Nadyia Perrovna," and she passed away unexpectedly on May 6, 2007.  The numbers 5/6/7 will probably always be tender for me.  The heart-tugging moments that came from our lives with Kayla are many, but the best of these are the ones which desmonstrated her enormous desire to love and comfort people. 

When I became pregnant, I knew Kayla would love our child, and the day I went into labor, she knew it before I did.  I woke up at 3:30 in the morning after the worst nightmare of my life.  My back roared in pain.  Kayla was always a heavy sleeper, especially in the dark.  But she stood at the end of my bed, her head on the comforter, whining and staring at me with her big chocolate eyes.  She knew something was wrong even though I thought I just had a backache. 

It was only when I noticed the pain come and go every few minutes that I realized I was in labor.  Kayla stayed by my side the whole time, fastened to my knee and determined not to let me out of her sight.  When we brought my daughter home the first time, Kayla investigated her very gently but thoroughly, and gave her a tiny kiss on the head.

Later, I became friends with a woman named Suzanne who was afraid of dogs.  After Kayla died, this woman told me that Kayla was directly responsible for ridding her of this fear.  Suzanne was very pregnant when she invited my daughter and I to a pool party in her backyard.  She asked me to bring my dog because she knew I liked taking Kayla with us.  Kayla made a beeline for Suzanne and sat at her side the whole afternoon.  She didn't demand attention, she just wanted to be near Suzanne. 

The day before Kayla died, Suzanne brought her now 10 month-old son to my house for some playtime.  William liked looking at the big black dog, but didn't want her to get too close to him, so I kept Kayla by my side while we all played on the floor.  At one point, I looked away from Kayla, and when I looked back, she was inching her way toward William.  She was in licking distance of his chubby little foot, and sure enough, she gave that foot a soft little dog-slobber bath.  William giggled with delight and Kayla took this as an invitation for more, but I kept her back so William wouldn't be frightened.  Suzanne gave Kayla a big hug and lots of kisses (which Kayla returned) for being so loving with her son.

I will always remember the last day of Kayla's life as the day she crawled all over the floor, trying to be as close as she could to a tiny baby whom she had loved before he had even entered the world.  Kayla had a capacity to love that defied all public opinion about dogs, much less Rottweilers.  Once she loved you, she never stopped, and she never forgot.  I'll never forget her.

Ming’s Worth His Weight in Gold
“Ming knows before I do when the migraines are coming…”
By Ileana Ruiz

Almost three years ago we visited a friend who had new Dachshund puppies. Getting a puppy was the last thing on our minds. Suddenly from the litter of little Dachshunds there ‘exploded' a little red and white bundle of love and he came right to us. This was unusual because he had shown no interest in anyone and our friend thought she would not be able to place him. So we took the puppy home and called him Ming. Two months later I was diagnosed with severe Hemiplegic’s Migraines. These will cause me to often pass out and fall.

Ming knows 1/2-3/4 hrs before I do when a migraine is coming. He will push me towards a chair or sofa or if we're shopping he will try to push me towards a door. If I become unconscious he will lay across my chest until help arrives. On more than one occasion my partner has had to kennel him because he gets in the way of paramedics.  I don't go anywhere alone without him.  He's my hero.

Labrador "KC" Senses Seizures Before They Happen
“One day I was up walking around and my KC pulled me to the floor and laid on top of me…soon I had a seizure…”
By Kathy Slaton

I am handicapped and have been for some time. On December 24, 2001 I had a grand mal seizure, spent Christmas Eve in the hospital and now have epilepsy.  Later, a very nice couple gave us a yellow Lab that would no longer hunt. We call her KC.  I was a little scared the first day we had her but that did not last long. Then one day I was up walking around and KC pulled me to the floor and laid on top of me. That really scared me because she is so big and I am a very small woman. I didn’t know if she was going to bite me or not.  But no, she just would not allow me to get up.  Soon I had a seizure and it was a good thing KC had me on our carpeted floor. This is a true story -- she knew what was coming but I didn’t.

KC has done this many times. Sometimes I can tell if a seizure is coming, other times I can’t. So I am very grateful to my girl KC. She is now 7 years old and stays right by my side.  How my husband and I love her.

In 1990 I was hit by a drunk driver and I have had five back surgeries. So even though I can walk, I have no feeling in my left leg or foot and I have to be careful not to cut myself or fall down. Once I fall down I can’t get back up unless my husband is at home.  One day, after we had gotten KC, I did fall and I was afraid I would be on the floor all day. Little did I know that she was not about to have that one little bit!  I had taken a shower and while getting out, down I went. KC came to our bathroom, laid down and kept moving closer to me until I was next to her. I put my arms around her neck and she stood up and I was able to hang on.  In no time she had me on my feet.

KC is a hero and an angel all rolled up in one.  She has done so many things for me and I don’t know what I would ever do without her. I don’t want people to think that is the only reason why I love her so much. It is because she is the best friend I have ever had.