We often hear the saying “a dog is a human’s best friend” but in this case, Jewel is really her owner’s guardian angel.
Michael O’Donoghue, Jewel’s owner, suffers from Temporal Plus Epilepsy, causing him to have frequent life-threatening seizures – sometimes daily, with some seizures lasting as long as eight minutes. His life has always hung in the balance.
But since Michael adopted Jewel, South Africa’s first Seizure Response Service Dog, his life has changed completely. Not only is Jewel Michael’s soulmate, but she is also his guardian angel. Thanks to her training, this phenomenal dog is able to detect when Michael is about to have a seizure. During a seizure, she is able to use her weight and warmth to reduce his anxiety and stress levels, maneuver him into a recovery position, and even push a special emergency button, sending an alert for help.
When she is not on duty, Jewel is a typical three-year-old dog who adores humans and other animals and loves to play. She especially loves water!
Unfortunately, Jewel was diagnosed with Carpal Valgus Angular – a painful limb deformity caused by unequal growth between the two bones in her lower forelimb – and needed an expensive operation. If left untreated, it could have caused massive damage to Jewel’s other joints. Michael reached out to us for help, and help is exactly what we did.
Thanks to our supporters’ generosity, we were able to pay for Jewel’s surgery, and we are happy to report it was a success. After a recovery period, Jewel is back to her happy, tail-wagging self.
Network for Animals is proud to have played a part in Jewel’s recovery. It’s only because of your generous donations that we can make these little acts of kindness possible. You have truly changed Michael and Jewel’s lives forever and for that, they are so thankful, and so are we.
Please keep donating to Network for Animals, and know that your donations will always be used to improve the lives of our planet’s precious animals.
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