Boy's Best Friend

This was a pretty cool story I got to do earlier in the month. I spent a week following Anthony and his Labrador retriever Saffron around in an attempt to show their unique relationship. Anthony is a diabetic and was having a lot of trouble monitoring his sugar levels. So his parents in their search for a solution came across this cool program called Dogs4Diabetics. Enter Saffron. She is a trained service dog that can smell when Anthony's blood sugar levels are getting low often times up to 15 minutes before he actually is low all through his breath and sweat. She's trained to jump on him and warn him. This process can happen up to 20 times a day. It's was a pretty cool relationship to watch. Since Anthony's sugar levels can fluctuate at any time, the two are essentially together 24/7. The assistance doesn't come without responsibility. Anthony is the only one in the family who can care for the dog. As a service dog going into places most dogs don't, Anthony must also keep her clean. A task that has developed into taking her into the shower when he goes. As his dad puts it, "Having Saffron by Anthony's side serves as a safety barrier between him and the emergency room." I had a lot of fun shooting this piece and getting to know them.