God not only blesses people with special gifts, but animals, too. This diabetic alert dog is proof. And after what he did for his tiny human, this pooch is more than just a hero, he’s a furry angel too!
Credit: Facebook / Sadie’s Hero
Sadie is a 4-year-old girl diagnosed with both Down Syndrome and Type 1 Diabetes. To help manage this tricky combo, the family welcomed a specially trained labrador named Hero into their home in Utah. Hero is a diabetic alert dog truly living up to his name!
Credit: Facebook / Sadie’s Hero
Aside from being Sadie’s 4-legged best friend, Hero has been gifted with a very special nose. He can literally smell when Sadie’s blood sugar is either too high or too low. And when he does, the diabetic alert dog lets her parents know.
“I’ll hold out my hands and say, ‘What is it?’ and he’ll paw for […] my left hand for a low, and he’ll nose my right hand for a high,” explained Michelle, Sadie’s mom.
In fact, Hero is typically able to sense these changes before they’ve even registered on the electronic device also monitoring Sadie’s levels.
Hero’s talent is truly a blessing to Sadie and her family. But one day, Hero’s special bond with Sadie saved the little girl’s life in such a miraculous way that the family can’t deny it was divine intervention!
Sadie was in class at her Elementary school and Hero was with Michelle at home — more than five miles away. Suddenly, the usually calm dog was whining up a storm.
“He’s normally a very quiet dog. Whining is not in his protocol. But he just started whining and he would not stop,” Michelle said.
Credit: Facebook / Sadie’s Hero
Hero’s antics continued, and it soon became evident that the diabetic alert dog was warning Sadie’s mom that the girl’s sugar levels were dropping. But how could that be, given that Sadie wasn’t at the house?
Michelle decided to give the school a call anyways, just in case.
RELATED: 5-year-old boy’s dog knew he was in danger before anyone else did
Sadie’s teacher, Kimberly Stoneman, checked the little girl’s numbers which were fine at the time. But Kimberly kept an eye on them, and only 30 minutes later, Sadie’s blood sugar levels had dropped dramatically.
“The lows are more dangerous immediately,” Michelle explained. “(With) lows, she could go into a diabetic coma right away, and she could die, if we kept her low too long.”
Credit: Facebook / Sadie’s Hero
But thanks to the heads up Hero had given, the drop was identified immediately. It left everyone in utter amazement, including the school’s principal, Caroline Knadler. Caroline is also diabetic, and has witnessed the diabetic alert dog at work before, when her own levels started to drop during a parent- teacher meeting with the family.
“How can it be based on smell?” Caroline asked. “It really got me thinking. What is Hero alerting on?”
Sadie’s parents got Hero from KC Owens, a diabetic herself who trains and raises puppies to be diabetic alert dogs in Utah. She says that training the dogs to smell changes in blood sugar is relatively easy — they’re bred for their nose. But given the 5 mile distance, she says this was something else entirely.
“How do dogs know when their owners are coming home?” KC asked. “There’s another piece of it, that I call, ‘God only knows.’ “
Credit: Facebook / Sadie’s Hero
But Sadie’s parents have a pretty good idea what’s behind that “something else” that prompted Hero’s behavior that special day.
“I can’t explain it. It’s a God thing. I think it’s like mother’s intuition. These dogs have abilities and senses beyond our understanding. That’s why we’re thankful to have Hero, he’s the one who saves her more times than not,” said Sadie’s dad.
Credit: Facebook / Sadie’s Hero
And there’s no question that along with Hero’s special talent, God also gave him a special purpose.
“I’ve always called Sadie our little angel, and I think Hero was a little angel sent into our lives to watch over her,” dad said.
WATCH: Sadie With Hero, Her Diabetic Alert Dog
Inspirational Short Stories of Animals Helping Humans
Here are a few of our favorite inspirational stories where our furry animal friends helped humans in our series of animal short stories that we thought you may like!
- Why Do Cats Purr? 7 Ways Cat Purrs Can Aid with Healing
- Beloved Pet Cat Saves Man From Committing Suicide
- Earless Cat No One Wanted Saves The Woman Who Finally Adopted Him
- Hero Cat Saves Owner By Dialing 911 At Just The Right Time
- Heroic Cat Saved The Entire Family From A House Fire By Biting Mom
- Cat Warned His Owner Of The Gatlinburg Wildfires & Saved His Life
- Rescued Doberman Saves Little Girl From A Snake
- Puppy Saves Town from Gas Leak
- Diabetic Alert Dog Saves 4-Year-Old Girl From 5 Miles Away
- Dog With Cancer Saves Owner From Suicide
- Service Dog Saves Owner from Being Hit by Bus
When this baby was left to die, God sent an unlikely angel to his rescue!
h/t: KUTV News