Be Free For Me Blog

Having a child with food allergies can be scary. Letting them go off to school, camp, or after-school activities can be a challenge, since a reaction to an allergic food can be deadly.

Now some parents are enlisting “Man’s Best Friend”, the trustworthy four-legged dog, to buddy up with their children and keep them safe from the deadly dangers of food allergies.

More commonly known as assisting people with vision, hearing, diabetic reactions, or mobility assistance – having dogs assist in keeping kids safe from potentially deadly food allergies is relatively new, but makes perfect sense.

One of the organizations that provide, train and certify these service dogs is Angel Service Dogs. Based out of Monument, Colorado, this non-profit group places Allergy Alert Dogs with individuals and families that are limited in daily activities due to life-threatening, anaphylactic food allergies. 

The Allergy Alert Dogs are trained to detect certain allergens, just like the dogs at the airports and borders that are trained to detect the scent of drugs and explosives. If a potentially dangerous scent is detected, the dogs will alert their owner to avoid contact or ingestion.

Check out more information about the Angel Service Dog organization, how they screen and train their dogs, as well as ways you can help – either by being a “puppy raiser” or by donating to a family raising money for a much needed service dog. Its worth checking out and learning more about how placing services dogs with needy families help prevent unintended exposure to life threatening food allergies!

*  NOTE: Photos are from the Angel Service Dogs website. These are pictures of Riley, the founder’s daughter that has food allergies, with her service dog, Rock-O.