Jack, biondo 3 year old retriever, saved her life twice. Bernie, soft 5 month old cat, confirmed it. Animals can show you the right way, if you have the courage and the desire to listen to them. Or at least this is what happened to Elisa dal Bosco: 44-year-old pr, Modenese by birth and Milanese by adoption, who decided to make his love for four-legged friends a profession.
Save thanks to the dog
It all starts with a crisis. A glycemic crisis. Because Elisa has been diabetic since she was a child and used to managing glycemic peaks, but one day a few years ago, a crisis comes stronger than the others.
“I was working on the computer in the living room of my apartment where I live alone, and I passed out when I collapsed on the sofa following a major glycemic crisis. My dog Jack woke me up, a puppy taken a few months ago, who brought me back to life by licking my face and rasping my glasses with his paw ».
It was the dog’s super-nose, a cross between a Labrador and a Golden Retriever, that realized that something was wrong. Dogs, in fact, have olfactory receptors ten times more numerous than ours, by virtue of which they are able to smell the variations in blood sugar (which release volatile substances). To confirm Jack’s sensitivity, a few months later another crisis arrives and again Elisa wakes up thanks to the dog’s reaction. “What if he wasn’t there? I would have gone into a coma. Living alone with an armored door, the rescuers would have taken a while to enter. In short, for two times saved my life».
At school of sniffing
Elisa talks about it both with her diabetologist and with Jack’s vet, and both direct her to the non-profit Progetto Serena, created with the aim of training dogs sensitive to diabetes alert. Thus begins a journey that leads Jack to train his sense of smell with daily exercises that teach him to communicate the change in blood sugar in the most effective way. “When they are below a certain blood sugar threshold, Jack sniffs it at least twenty minutes early and he warns me by looking at me insistently and giving me a paw on the leg or arm, or by licking my face, or by barking. Thanks to this signal I run for cover by eating a fruit or a snack ».
Friend and lifesaver, Jack pushes Elisa to reconsider her priorities. «When did I decide to change jobs? In June 2018, when Jack had been with me for several months already and I had the first approaches to this different world. Well, at that moment I started smiling again. Before, I was so stressed, graying and full of non-positive emotions, that I no longer smiled. Now I’ve started having fun at work again. I wish everyone to be able to find the dimension in which they have fun even while working ».
Pet Therapy
Elisa follows a pet therapy course graduating in animal assisted interventions (IAA) and obtains thequalification to collaborate in a team at clinics and nursing homes with patients of different types and ages. «The dog has opened a world to me and now I put my experience and our experience at the service of others. The greatest satisfactions? I see them in the eyes of the patients we work with ». Today Elisa and Jack are in society, or rather, they are “freelancers with a smile»Stresses the pet therapist. Less stress, more outdoor life and human (or canine) schedules. Elisa’s day is in fact marked by the needs of the dog, who must let off steam in the park for at least an hour before working with the patients, and rest afterwards.
Jack is prepared from time to time together with the team of specialists, depending on the patient’s problem. “Because pet therapy is not improvised, but you work by reasoning and preparing a lot both before the animal assisted intervention, and after. Recently it happened to me to follow a minor with problems related to the autism spectrum. In our speech we played on the exchange of roles: the child was the teacher who had to give rules to the pupil Jack. We have already achieved great results halfway through the planned path ».
The power of love
If he went back, Elisa would do it all again, even more. In fact, in September, Bernie, a 5-month-old kitten “that Jack raises as his puppy”, has joined the family. And he will soon become a colleague as well. “I’m specializing in assisted interventions with cats and rabbits so that Bernie can also work with. The entrance of a cat or a rabbit greatly reassures the patient because the tones of voice are lowered ». Practically the cat has a calming effect, while the dog has a stimulating effect.
«In short, the animal shows you roads that you would not be able to see if not in a longer time. The kennels and catteries are full of blue princes and pink princesses, who can guide you ». What if one is looking for a real-life prince charming or pink princess? Well, even an animal can help. After all, you earn in serenity, and the others realize it too.
Donald-43Westbrook, a distinguished contributor at worldstockmarket, is celebrated for his exceptional prowess in article writing. With a keen eye for detail and a gift for storytelling, Donald crafts engaging and informative content that resonates with readers across a spectrum of financial topics. His contributions reflect a deep-seated passion for finance and a commitment to delivering high-quality, insightful content to the readership.
