[ SHOWGSD-L ] Re: Extraordinary dog
- From: Peggy <pmick@xxxxxxxxx>
- To: RihadinK9@xxxxxxx
- Date: Thu, 28 Jul 2005 18:58:28 -0400
What a story. Somebody needs to nominate this dog for the HERO
award.............
or some kind of award, huh?
Peggy
RihadinK9@xxxxxxx wrote:Some people have been telling me they need to
register to read this story.Here it is for those that can't or don't
want to register....,
>Modern-day 'Lassie' saves owner's life
>LUKA: German shepherd raises alarm to bring help to unconscious diabetic.
>By CINTHIA RITCHIE
>Anchorage Daily News
>Published: July 28th, 2005
>Luka strutted around his east-side living room, his toenails clicking on the
>linoleum as Doug Ryerson, 53, explained how the ordinary-looking German
>shepherd saved his life Tuesday night.
>A diabetic since early childhood, Ryerson's blood sugar plummeted to deadly
>levels after he went to bed. "Another hour and I would have been a goner,"
>Ryerson said, and rolled across the floor to give 1-year-old Luka a pat on
>the
>head.
>Confined to a wheelchair since losing part of his leg to diabetes, he is
>legally blind and covers his eyes with dark shades. He shares his home with
>his
>younger brother, Mike; sister-in-law, Tinker; and two other dogs, Bubba and
>Bella. The dogs, especially Luka, mean a lot to Ryerson.
>Ryerson checked his blood sugar around 5:30 p.m., after a dinner of chicken,
>potatoes and peas. It was within normal range, so he took his insulin shot
>and went into his bedroom.
>Usually he takes a bedtime snack to keep his blood sugar regulated
>throughout the night, but for some reason, he fell asleep without it. The
>next thing
>he remembers is the sound of the paramedic's voice.
>"I wake up and this strange guy is talking to me," he said. He recalled
>nothing except lying in bed and reading -- "You know, listen to books on
>tape."
>His voice cracking, Ryerson cried off and on during the retelling of what
>happened next. Luka, realizing that something was wrong, charged over to Mike
>and Tinker's closed bedroom door and barked. They yelled for him to settle
>down. He barked again. They yelled again. So he went and lay by Ryerson's
>door
>and growled.
>"So Mike was like, 'Something's up,' " Tinker said. " 'Cause our dogs aren't
>the growly type."
>Mike quickly ran into the room and noticed Ryerson sprawled and
>unresponsive. A call to 911 bought paramedics to the apartment within
>minutes. They
>rushed Ryerson to Providence Alaska Medical Center emergency room.
>"The doctors said his blood sugar was down to 23," Tinker said, a
>life-threatening level. "It was a real close call. I heard from the nurses
>that another
>hour and it would have been over."
>The family got Luka when he was 8 weeks old, from a breeder in Glennallen.
>>From the very first, Ryerson said, they took to each other.
>"I'm at their level," he said. "And I think that makes a difference. I'm
>more like them, see? And Luka here, he grew up with me."
>"Well, not quite," Tinker interrupted. "He had to get used to Doug's
>wheelchair. When Doug came barreling down the hall, Luka was like, 'Watch
>out, a man
>on wheels!' "
>Even though Luka chewed up the wheels on his chair when he was younger,
>Ryerson insisted that he was a good dog, a smart dog, the best dog in the
>world.
>When Ryerson got back from the hospital, he gave Luka a big, fat "lovey" hug
>and they curled up on the floor and ate popcorn together.
>"That's when it hit me. Gosh, I couldn't believe it, what this dog did. I
>couldn't stop crying."
>Luka, Ryerson said, seems completely unaware of what he's done. To him, it
>was instinct. Something was wrong, and he needed to make sure it got fixed.
>"It's like he's saying, 'It's my job. That's what I do. I take care of you,'
>" Ryerson said, his voice choking up again.
>"I thank God, I just thank God for Luka."
>Daily News reporter Cinthia Ritchie can be reached at _critchie@xxxxxxxx
>(mailto:critchie@xxxxxxx) .
>
>
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