A service dog named Jedi is the true-to-life guardian angel and ultimate protector of a boy named Luke Nuttall, who has type 1 diabetes. Jedi has been saving his master's life for more than three years now.
Luke's Condition
Luke is not a victim of bullying or violence. What he has is a lifetime, autoimmune condition that can cause his blood sugar levels to go haywire without a warning.
Luke's pancreas has stopped generating insulin, which regulates blood sugar and energy conversion in the body. His disorder can be especially dangerous when he is asleep as it can be really hard to tell if his blood sugar is dipping or rising to dangerous levels.
"Type 1 diabetes is relentless, and we need as much help as we can get," writes Luke's mother Dorrie in a Facebook page she created for her son and his dog.
Luke does not wake up or show signs of erratic blood sugar levels when he is asleep. With this, he relied on his parents to monitor him at night for more than four and half years.
Dorrie and her husband used to wake up three times in the middle of the night to check on their son before Jedi came to their lives.
The Heroic Act Of Jedi
On Friday, March 4, Dorrie posted a new photo of Jedi and Luke together with a story of one of Jedi's heroic acts.
Dorrie wrote that she woke up one night to find Jedi lying on top of her. Such act signifies that there is something wrong. She checked on Luke's continuous blood sugar monitor, but it revealed normal readings.
Despite this, Jedi just won't stop getting her attention. Dorrie knew right then that the dog meant business.
Dorrie pricked her son's finger to double-check on his blood sugar level. Indeed, the machine read 57, which was a really low value.
Jedi was able to detect that Luke's blood sugar was declining and thanks to this ability, Dorrie was able to give her son a glucose dose.
Jedi's Powers
Luke's blood sugar can fluctuate five to eight times within a single day. Jedi is able to detect these events as he can smell the changes in his master's chemical body composition.
When this happens, Jedi brings a short stick to whoever is at home and signals that something is wrong with Luke. As per Dorrie's training, the dog is also able to tell the specific nature of Luke's condition by waving its paw when the blood sugar is high and bowing down when it is low.
The person in the house always confirms Jedi's report with a fingerprick test.
After confirming and giving due treatment to Luke, the Nuttalls reward Jedi with a "puppy party," which involves food, his favorite dog pillow toy, other treats and lots of attention.
Service Dogs
Although Jedi has been looking after Luke for three and half years now, the dog still needs more training. Ultimately, the animal does not replace the human aspect of type 1 diabetes care.
Dorrie worked with a local firm that offered help to train Jedi when he was still a puppy. However, Dorrie says not all dogs can be service dogs.
Not all dogs possess the temperament required of service dogs, says Dorrie. Luckily, Jedi does and on top of that, he and Luke are the perfect match.
