Organizations offer diabetic alert dogs for those in need

ELK RIVER, Minn. (FOX 9) - The knock on the front door of an Elk River home was expected, and what it brought was a complete surprise.

A pair of Minnesota-based nonprofits, "Wishes and More" and "Picnics With A Pup," are delivering a Christmas bonus to 16-year-old Abby and her diabetic alert dog, Finley.

"I told them Kara was a volunteer, and we just had something more for them," Laura Gillespie of Wishes and More told FOX 9. "That’s part of the magic of Wishes and More – is that we do wishes, and we do more."

Kara Salzmann, founder of Picnics With a Pup, brought the more – they often partner with other nonprofits to help children in need.

"I just said do you have any wishes coming up that involve a dog," Salzmann said. "And she told me about Abby’s story, and we said, ‘How can we help?’"

Sixteen-year-old Abby Seward had a scary night a couple of years ago. Her blood sugar crashed so badly while she was asleep that her parents rushed her to the hospital to save her life.

"And then after that, I kind of had a hard time sleeping in the middle of the night," explained Abby. "Which was part of the idea of getting a diabetic alert dog."

Soon after, Abby’s mom, Emily, applied for one of the specially trained dogs that can tell, by scent, when Abby’s blood sugar is too high or too low.

"We wanted a dog to alert and jump on Abby in the middle of the night," explained Emily.

Finley, after extensive training, arrived in October. Wishes and More picked up part of the cost.

And now, a few days after Christmas, Picnics With a Pup presented them with two surprises: a year’s supply of dog food, and a monthly subscription to "Bark Box," which brings toys and other supplies for Finley.

"Really, super exciting," said Emily. "Finley is a lucky dog!"