A 55-year-old man named James in Coventry, RI, received a very special delivery of his very own Diabetic Alert Service Dog from SDWR.

COVENTRY, RI, USA, May 28, 2019 /EINPresswire.com/ -- James, a 55-year-old man in Coventry, RI, received a very special delivery 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 James—Type 1 Diabetes. SDWR has hundreds of working service dogs placed around the globe and is currently serving approximately 1,000 families.

Sara, 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.

Sara 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. Sara is named in honor of fallen hero Police Dog K9 Sara of the Iowa Motor Vehicle Enforcement who died was struck and killed as she and her handler conducted a criminal interdiction search of a commercial vehicle on the shoulder of I-80, in western Iowa. Sara’s work as a Diabetic Alert Service Dog with James will carry on in memoriam of K9 Sara’s life of service before self.

James was diagnosed with Diabetes when he was 14-years-old. James hopes that a service dog will be able to alert him when he is sleeping and in between checks. His blood sugar levels remain unstable and, therefore, James is unable to drive independently. James is no longer able to work due to this, in addition to Coronary Artery Disease as well. Not keeping his blood sugars in a healthy range can cause further damage to his body and/or lead to death. James 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 Sara is a service dog and covered under laws in accordance with the Americans with Disabilities Act (ADA), he will be able to accompany James everywhere—from the park, to the grocery store, even restaurants.

During the upcoming 18 months, SDWR will return to James’s home every 3-4 months to continue working on Sara’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 James 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 Warren Retrievers
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