‘He makes sure I get life-saving medication’
Cocker Spaniel Clive detects life-threatening changes to his owner Michelle Sutherland’s cortisol levels; he was honoured for his constant companionship and unwavering devotion to duty.
Clive’s story began as many other pets’ lives do, when he was lovingly chosen from his litter by new owner, Michelle, and taken to his forever home. However, his life soon took a remarkable turn.
Clive had only been with Michelle for a short time when she was diagnosed with Addison’s disease – a rare disorder of the adrenal glands, which can have life-threatening side-effects.
Following her diagnosis, Michelle was left housebound and unable to work, requiring round-the-clock supervision and living in constant fear of a deadly adrenal crisis. Clive’s affection and companionship was already a lifeline for her, but a chance meeting at Crufts with Dr Claire Guest, co-founder of Medical Detection Dogs, would lead to him taking on a transformative new role.
On return from her first hospital stay, Michelle found Clive was instinctively helping her by touching her mouth and waking her at night if he sensed something was wrong. Discussing this natural tendency with Dr Guest, Michelle discovered Clive would be an ideal candidate to train as a Medical Alert Assistance Dog.
Following an 18-month coaching course with Medical Detection Dogs,
Clive uses his powerful sense of smell up to four times a day to signal to Michelle that her cortisol levels have dropped dangerously low. Over the years, he has alerted Michelle thousands of times, avoiding the need for ambulance call-outs and hospital stays. Michelle strongly believes that Clive has transformed her life and that it is thanks to him she is here today.
RETURN TO NORMALITY
Michelle has been fitted with an adrenal pump to administer immediate medication on Clive’s alert and he can also fetch emergency injections if needed. With Clive at her side, Michelle has regained her quality of life. She returned to full-time work in logistics at Humberside Police, and can travel and socialise, all of which would be impossible to do without Clive’s life-saving alerts.
Michelle, 35, from Hull says: ‘It was wonderful to see Clive receiving such a prestigious accolade for his life-changing work, and I am so proud. Knowing Clive has been recognised for transforming my life is extremely humbling. Every day, he makes sure I get life-saving medication when I need it, affording me my independence. My world would not be complete without Clive.’
‘My world would not be complete without Clive’