Service dog is coming to help girl control diabetes

MILFORD — A diabetic alert dog will be coming to Shohola to help a girl control her blood-sugar levels.

In the next six to eight months, Service Dogs by Warren Retrievers will be sending a diabetic alert dog — also known as a D.A.D. — to the Lordi family.

Chris and Leslie Lordi’s daughter Josephine was diagnosed with Type 1 Diabetes on Oct. 19, 2012. Just recently, the family started researching to find out more about diabetic alert dogs. They became extremely interested in learning more about an additional tool to help control their daughter’s blood sugar levels. This is when they stumbled across Service Dogs by Warren Retrievers. Their motto? — "Until there's a cure, there's a dog."

The dog will alert Josie to fluctuations in her blood sugar and help manage her Type 1 Diabetes by keeping her from experiencing dramatic and dangerous shifts in blood glucose levels.

Diabetic Alert Dogs are a relative newcomer to the service dog scene. Most people are only aware of guide dogs for the blind and dogs for mobility. Service Dogs has appointed the Lordi family to be ambassadors for the organization to help educate the community about this type of life-saving health management tool — in the form of four furry paws and a cold nose.

The Virginia-based service dog organization provides Labrador retrievers bred specifically for scent detection, such as medical alert work. Its mission is to help assist individuals and families who are seeking to bring a service dog into their lives to help combat the effects of an invisible disability. Donations benefit Service Dogs by Warren Retrievers to further this mission.

On Sunday, May 4, the Lordi family will be hosting the second annual Taking Our Shot at Inspiring Hope 5K at Camp Speers Eljabar-YMCA in Dingmans Ferry. All proceeds will benefit SDWR and the Juvenile Diabetes Research Foundation.

For more information, visit https://lordic.wix.com/takingourshot.

Also see the Lordis' letter on page 12.