Sniffing out Trouble

I am allergic to just about everything that grows, but luckily with monthly allergy shots, and a steady supply of Claritin-D, I have learned to keep my symptoms under control. I am very thankful that I don't have full-blown food allergies (although I think that the older I get, the less wheat and I are getting along but that is another story....) so the story via ABC News that a peanut sniffing dog recently saved her owner's life, caught my eye.

Eight year old Riley Mers and her Portugese Water Dog, Rock'O (are you listening Obama family?) go everywhere together, especially to school. Rock'O is one of six dogs (yes, you read that right, 6) specially trained to sniff out peanuts, to which Riley is severely allergic. Riley, in fact, is so allergic that she used to wear gloves because touching peanut residue of any type gives her about six minutes to get to the hospital.

Enter Rock'O and it's a whole new world for Riley. She no longer has to ask anyone if they have eaten something with peanuts or feel scared to go anywhere outside her house. Rock'O is trained in the same manner as a bomb sniffing dog and if he finds peanuts, he sits in his "alert" position to let Riley know he's found something she should avoid.

Though a specially trained dog like Rock'O doesn't come cheap (between $10,000 and $15,000), his presence has meant normalcy for Riley and her family. "I can actually go to the mall. I can actually go to bowling alleys," she said. "I'm wanting to go to college, and I'm going to be able to."

Granted, a dog like Rock'O isn't for everyone--Riley's peanut allergy is about as bad as they come--but the security he has given his owner and her family is most definitely priceless.