Adam, a 34-year-old man in Grande Praire, Alberta, Canada, received a very special delivery today of his very own Diabetic Alert Service Dog from SDWR.

GRANDE PRAIRE, ALBERTA, CANADA, January 30, 2019 /EINPresswire.com/ -- Adam, a 34-year-old man in Grande Praire, Alberta, Canada, received a very special delivery today of his very own Diabetic Alert Service Dog from Service Dogs by SDWR. Based in Madison, Virginia, Service Dogs by SDWR, or “SDWR,” has a mission to provide specially-bred and trained dogs for people of all ages that struggle with living with invisible disabilities such as Autism, PTSD, Seizure Disorders, or in the case of Adam—Type 1 Diabetes. SDWR has hundreds of working service dogs placed around the globe and is currently serving approximately 1,000 families.
Sonny, a labrador retriever Diabetic Alert Dog, has already received countless hours of training through SDWR’s service dog raiser program where volunteers raise puppies in training for approximately one year. The dogs and raisers must follow through the foundation and skill set training provided through SDWR trainers at the facility in Virginia.
Sonny is also an honored graduate of the SDWR Fallen Officer Puppy Program. The Fallen Officer Puppy Program, also known as “FOPP,” is an initiative by SDWR to pay respect to the legacy of service by fallen American police who sacrificed their lives in the line of duty. Sonny is named in honor of fallen hero Auxiliary Deputy Sonny Allan Smith of the Johnson County Sheriff's Office in Arkansas who was shot and killed as he and other deputies searched for a burglary suspect. Sonny’s work as a Diabetic Alert Service Dog with Adam will carry on in memoriam of Deputy Smith’s life of service before self.
Adam was diagnosed with Type 1 Diabetes when he was 4-years-old. Adam hopes that a service dog will be able to alert him when he is sleeping and in between checks. “I live alone. The dog would provide additional, needed support and increase my ability to manage my diabetes,” says Adam, Diabetic Alert Dog recipient. Adam is optimistic that with the addition of a service dog it will help make his life a little easier and provide a sense of independence and security.
SDWR uses a proprietary scent training method to teach Diabetic Alert Dogs to detect fluctuations in blood sugar that fall outside of a handler’s healthy range. Since Sonny is a service dog and covered under laws in accordance with the Americans with Disabilities Act, he will be able to accompany Adam everywhere—from work, to church, even to dojo practice.
During the upcoming 18 months, SDWR will return to Adam’s home every 3-4 months to continue working on Sonny’s customized training, follow up training and training the human to make a successful team and public access certification. This certification can only be given to Adam after a progression of hard work and dedication to the SDWR training program. This training program is what sets SDWR apart from other nonprofit service dog organizations.
Service Dogs by SDWR is a nonprofit organization based in Madison, Virginia, and relies on donations to help the organization in its mission, “Until there’s a cure…there’s a dog.” To make a donation or learn more about SDWR, please visit the website, www.sdwr.org. To learn more about Diabetic Alert Service Dogs visit www.sdwr.org/service-dogs/diabetic-alert/. To learn more about SDWR’s Fallen Officer Puppy Program visit www.sdwr.org/fallen-officer-puppy-program/.

Beau Warren
Service Dogs by SDWR
+1 540-543-2307
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