Original Article: https://blog.theanimalrescuesite.greatergood.com/service-dog-graduates-with-teen/

Graduation Day is a momentous, happy occasion for any high school student. However, for one high school senior, Tyler McCready, graduation could’ve been one of those milestones that he missed were it not for his best friend and constant companion, Sinatra.

The beautiful miniature Australian Shepherd isn’t just Tyler’s pet pooch, he’s also his lifesaver, as the dog is trained as a diabetes dog.

According to Arkansas Online, Tyler lives with Type 1 diabetes, and Sinatra accompanies him everywhere as he is specifically trained to detect spikes or drops in blood sugar levels.

You see, when Tyler’s blood sugar levels drop, his body starts to give off a pungent smell that Sinatra is able to detect. When his sugar levels increase, his body smells sweeter, something that, again, is detectable to Sinatra.

The dog has been Tyler’s constant companion. In fact, not long before the two were paired together, Tyler experienced a diabetic coma, and Sinatra has been making sure that doesn’t happen since.

As Tyler’s mom, Melissa McCready, recalled to the news outlet, “About a month ago, I was getting ready to go Christmas shopping over Christmas break, and he dropped and wasn’t responding to me. His eyes were just glassy. We live every day and don’t know if he’s going to wake up the next morning. That’s one of the main reasons we got the dog — to watch him at night.”

That is when Sinatra entered the picture and even went to class with Tyler. Sinatra is such a good boy, always alerting Tyler to his bodily changes with a paw to his leg.

As Tyler said, “It kind of seemed surreal when we were waiting on him, but now he’s a part of my life. It gives me peace of mind.”

Given that Sinatra is his constant companion and had attended all his classes with him, it only made sense that the pooch was able to walk in the graduation ceremony alongside his human. How sweet is that?

Melissa shared on Facebook that even so many years later, the two are still inseparable and going strong, and that’s a beautiful thing. Sinatra officially retired in November of 2021, but her impact on Tyler’s life has been invaluable.

Source: The Animal Rescue Site Blog