COLLEGE STATION, Texas - Local business owners are proving that dogs can be more than cute cuddly companions, but that they could also save your life.
"If a type 1 diabetic goes low, the dog will indicate that person has gone low," said Rivers Edge Dog Academy owner Terrence Cadle.
They say a dog is mans best friend, and at Rivers Edge Dog Academy, Terrence and Nancy Cadle are training these special pups to be that and so much more.
"We do diabetic alert dogs, we do service dogs in general, but our primary is diabetic alert," said Terrence.
These crafty K9's live to serve through their keen sense of smell and are trained to sniff out trouble on their owners and strangers alike.
Through saliva samples collected from donors with type 1 diabetes, the Cadles are able to perform scent training with the dogs to prepare them for life in their new homes.
"I will start with a tin on three primary areas on my body and will do scent work with them. Then we will graduate where we can do cans in a wheel, and I will hide that in the house or in public and they will have to find the sample or sniffer tin that I have on me," said Rivers Edge Dog Academy owner Nancy Cadle.
Through their sharp snout, these dogs are able to detect blood sugar fluctuations quicker than a normal alerting device would, allowing those who suffer from the autoimmune disease.
Having lived with type 1 diabetes for 12 years, Caitlin Giles knows the struggles that come along along with it, but says she didn't begin to experience complications until she became pregnant with her first child.
"When that happened, we realized we needed more help than we had in the past," said Giles.
Which is when they started doing research on various options and came across Rivers Edge Dog Academy.
"It was a miracle when we found the Cadles and Rivers Edge Dog Academy because we didn't know what we were going to do," said Giles,
Caitlin says her dog Babette has become more than just a service animal but a part of her family and she is forever thankful to the Cadles for that.