Aiden Heath wanted a service dog so badly, he spent half of his young life collecting pennies in order to save up for a special canine companion of his very own.
The 8-year-old Vermont boy has type 1 diabetes, and when he and mom Jenni Heath learned that service dogs can provide early detection for blood sugar drops, they knew it’d be a great option for Aiden.
“They can sense it 20 minutes to 30 minutes before the blood meter actually tells you that you’re low,” Ms. Heath told ABC News.
The only problem? These specially-trained pups come with a hefty price tag of $15,000. But rather than give up on their goal, Ms. Heath told her then 4-year-old son to start saving up his pennies so that one day they could purchase a service dog.
According to ABC News, by this past April, young Aiden had saved an impressive $6,000. But they still had a long way to go…until a local news station covered his story! Donations immediately began pouring in, and it wasn’t long before the Heaths had more than enough money to grant Aiden his wish.
They found a Chocolate Labrador in Nevada who’d be the perfect fit, and was aptly named Angel. Aiden followed the pup’s progress as her training was polished, staying updated with pictures and videos of his new companion.
Then yesterday, Angel finally arrived to live with the Heaths forever.
“Aiden looked at me and said, ‘This is a dream,'” Ms. Heath told ABC News.
Aiden and Angel are happily getting acquainted and learning how to work with one another. Today, they’ll be going to the boy’s school to introduce the pup to staff and students.
“We have been so amazed by the outpouring of support,” Ms. Heath said in the story.”He is feeling the love. … There are no words.”
Watch the news story here:
Aside from a little boy who’s undoubtedly thrilled to bring his dog to school, the best part about having his new companion around is that Aiden is safe with his “guardian Angel” is by his side.
(h/t: ABC News)
