The quest to help a veteran has now come to fruition with the uniting of Angelo (a British Lab) with his new family, Dan and Ginger Adamson. The Veteran has been the recipient of help obtaining the medical alert dog for his diabetes and seizure problems.Angelo was introduced to the Adamsons a couple of weeks ago when they traveled to Jasper, Texas, to Drey’s Alert Dog’s facility to pick him up. They spent a week with Angelo and his trainers becoming acquainted and training themselves to become familiar with his commands and Angelo himself.

That was made possible by fund-raising efforts of several local groups who gave of their time, hearts and money to ensure the Adamsons were able to adopt the vitally-important family member.

After brining Angelo home, he was a little unsure of his new surroundings which made the first night an enormously important time. After bed time, Angelo began to whine which woke Dan. Hearing his new dog in distress proved too much for the tender-hearted fellow to endure. Not wanting to disturb Ginger, he quietly moved to the floor with Angelo and spent the night beside him for comfort. They’ve been inseparable ever since and Angelo has adjusted to his new surroundings without further incident.

“This is my baby,”

Dan said.

“He’ll never replace KD (his former alert dog) but he’s my baby just the same.”

Now that they’ve been on the receiving end of what equates to life-saving assistance, the Adamsons are looking to the future with confidence and that same charitable state of mind that brought them together with Angelo. They are considering ways to give back, possibly by getting training for their other dog in medical support services. They would like to take their rescued lab to children’s hospitals to give them hope and some smiles while finding a way to involve Angelo that wouldn’t counteract his alert training.

Angelo’s alert training revolved around scent recognition and when too many people handle him, their various scents can interfere with his job of detecting and notifying Dan of dangerous changes in his body that lead to health crises. With time they anticipate figuring out a way for it all to come together.

“We want to pay it forward,”

Ginger said.

As we left the restaurant following our meeting, a calm, medium-sized ebony canine sat alert and proud in the parking lot as his people exchanged good-byes. His eyes gleamed and it was like he knew that his first birthday, April 9, was the new beginning to his new life. Welcome to our community and happy birthday Angelo!

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Adamsons to receive medical alert dog