K9 Spotlight: Emilia and Thor
Nov 25th 2022
Emilia and Thor
Child with H.I. // Alert Service Dog
"Hi, my name is Emilia, and I am 2 years old. I was born with a rare disease known as Hyperinsulinism (H.I.). My Dad was active Military at my birth in the USMC and we were stationed in the Southeast region of USA. Within weeks of my birth I was not thriving so my Mom moved me too CHOP (Children’s Hospital of Philadelphia) along with my 3 siblings.
My Dad moved after us, when the USMC allowed him to transfer to reserves. My Daddy, along with the Marine Reconnaissance Foundation combed the country looking for a Dog who could watch over me, to help Mommy, while Dad went back to work. They were able to find a Trainer to work with a dog, when I was 5 months old. When I was 17 months old, Mr. Zach delivered Thor to be my Alert Dog.
Thor and I are just a few weeks apart in age and Mr. Zach says “Thor will protect me for the next 10+ years”…
Thor, is able to detect my low blood sugars, even sometimes faster than my Dexcom! He even wakes Mommy up to alert her of my low levels, in middle of the night. Thor will show change of behavior, jump on mommy, and stare at her intensely, letting her know I need help.
Mommy and Thor, along with my team of doctors allow me to be safe and thrive.
Thank you Marine Reconnaissance Foundation for bringing Thor into our lives, not just as a service dog, but as my best friend. I am so glad Mommy and Daddy can sleep at night knowing I’m safe!”
Their Gear: We bought the Service Dog Kinetic Duty Vest, along with patches, that Thor wears whenever we are out of the house! It doesn’t bother him, or create any irritation to his skin/fur, it’s light weight, and the blue alerts everyone that he is a service dog and provides additional visibility to the patches.
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