Medical-alert dog warns man of blood sugar changes

PHILADELPHIA – Bob Maher’s diabetes was shutting his body down to a point where he would pass out without warning.

It made him scared to drive, to be alone, even to sleep.

Chewie’s going to change all that. The 2-year-old dog, an auburn Labrador mix named after the “Star Wars” character Chewbacca, has the ability to detect changes in Maher’s blood sugar that are unrecognizable to Maher himself. Chewie then alerts Maher to correct it.

To see the phenomenon “just makes the hair on the back of your neck stand up,” said Jennifer Kriesel, director of development at Canine Partners for Life, a Chester County, Pa., organization that trains service dogs for people with impaired mobility and medical conditions.

In June 2004, Bob’s wife, Jean, found him in front of the television in his recliner, unconscious. By the time the paramedics arrived, he had no pulse or heartbeat.

After that, Jean Maher would wake up several times a night to check Bob’s blood sugar, and when he was home, she would not leave his side.

Then Maher, 64, a project manager who lives in Plano, Texas, was paired with his new best friend by Canine Partners for Life. Having a 24-hour canine companion, said Maher, “will give both of us greater independence.”

In the long run, Chewie may also improve Maher’s health because tighter blood-sugar control lowers the chance of long-term diabetes-related complications.

When Chewie alerts Maher, the dog stops in front of him and refuses to move.

The dog has already alerted Maher seven times. Originally skeptical of Chewie’s alerts, Maher always checked his level and realized Chewie was right. Every time.