When Dogs Are More Than Just a Friend: Dog Jedi Saves 7 Year Old Boy's Life

By SheSpeaksTeam Mar 10, 2016

The power of service animals is something that never ceases to amaze both young and old. This is certainly the case when a dog named Jedi saved the life of his 7 year old companion. The 7 year old, Luke, suffers from type 1 diabetes and can be in big trouble if his blood sugars drop too low or goes too high and there’s no one around. This is where service dog Jedi comes in. He has been trained to alert Luke’s parents when the boy’s levels are off balance.

Fox News reports about a recent incident in which Jedi alerted Luke’s mom, Dorrie Nuttal, in the middle of the night that the boy was in trouble. Nuttal’s Facebook post about the incident has since gone viral, getting more than 300,000 likes. Luke’s mom explains how she was woken in the middle of the night after Jedi sat on top of her. When she came out of bed, Jedi gave her a low bow which is a signal that Luke’s blood sugar is dangerously low.

Initially, Nuttal looked at Luke’s glucose monitor and saw that it read 100, which is an okay reading for the 7 year old. Just as Nutttal was ready to get back to sleep and tell Jedi that they would keep monitoring the situation, the dog refused to let her go. Again, Jedi gave his low bow signal and refused to go back to bed. So Nuttal decided to investigate further. After pricking her son’s finger she realized his level was actually 57 and dropping. Without the help of Jedi, Luke could have been in a much more serious situation.

Nuttal explains what it is like living with a son who has type 1 diabetes and how Jedi has given them that extra protection in dealing with this difficult disease. She says, “Luke was laying right next to me, just inches from me, and without Jedi I would have had no idea that he was dropping out of a safe range. He has never woken up on his own for a low in over 4 and a half years. We are his safety net, he goes to bed every night, and although he doesn't know it he relies 100% on us to keep him safe overnight. That's why we check his blood sugar overnight, every night, and we have every tool, every monitor, and have spent everyday of the last 3 years training Jedi to alert to highs and lows, because type 1 diabetes is relentless and we need as much help as we can get.”

What do you think of this service animal story?

Are there any animals in your life that provide an important service?