On a warm October evening, Melissa Tucker hopped in her family’s car to practice driving with her mother, Christine Tucker, MU admissions office secretary. She checked the rearview mirror, buckled her seat belt, and was startled when she heard a noise just outside the door. It was Islet, her golden retriever puppy, begging her to get out of the car.
As a high school student, Melissa juggles tennis, basketball, lacrosse, Key Club, German classes and driver’s ed. Melissa is also training Islet so the pup can be admitted to college – literally. Melissa might not be safe without her. “I hope I get her trained because I want to go away to school,” she said.
Melissa was diagnosed with juvenile diabetes after she received heart surgery as a child. “I wore an insulin pump for about seven years to deliver insulin, but I’ve switched to shots. I check my sugar about 10 times a day and my mom usually tests my sugar for me while I’m sleeping. So I’m a little nervous to go away to school without having my mom there to check my sugar in the middle of the night,” said Melissa.
Christine heard from several people that golden retrievers can tell when a person’s sugar is low. She explained that she got Islet from Tim Elliot, a breeder in Susquehanna, PA, who is also a type-1 diabetic. One day Elliot’s six golden retrievers circled his legs and wouldn’t let him go. “So he went and tested his sugar and realized he was low. So Islet comes from a long-line of sugar sensing,” said Christine.
Dogs must be intelligent, obedient, fair tempered, non-protective and healthy to be considered as a service dog candidate. The owner then must apply to have his or her dog registered as a service dog. The Americans with Disabilities Act allows service dogs equal access to anywhere the general public is permitted, and owners are not required to pay pet deposits for housing.
“I named her Islet because the Islets of Langerhans are the regions of the pancreas that are affected in diabetes. So I think it was appropriate to name her that,” said Melissa.
Islet will have to undergo a year of training. She attends obedience school at Petco and the Tuckers are looking into sending Islet to Mississippi for service dog training. “We would go down there for about a week and we’ll bring articles of clothing that Melissa has worn when her sugar was high and low. That way, Islet can learn the exact scent when Melissa’s sugar is at dangerous levels. So if her sugar becomes too low, Islet will nudge Melissa with her paw or her nose to prompt Melissa to take action,” added Christine.
With that little bit of help, Melissa is ready to take action herself.
“I want to major in communications and write for ‘Seventeen’ magazine some day. It’d be great to have Islet there with me to make the transition from home a little easier,” said Melissa.
Puppy Preps Girl for Higher Ed
Published: Sunday, October 25, 2009
Updated: Monday, October 26, 2009 19:10
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