2006-06-22 21:18:20Cabnolen
Beagle honored for calling 911
Source: UPI
WASHINGTON (UPI) -- A Florida beagle was to be honored Monday for saving the life of her diabetic master by biting down on his cell phone to get help.
Kevin Weaver went into a diabetic coma and woke up in a hospital with no memory of passing out on his kitchen floor.
Belle is the first animal to receive the VITA Wireless Samaritan Award, presented in Washington by the CTIA Wireless Foundation to those who use cell phones to save lives, the Washington Post reported.
Kevin Weaver, a former flight attendant who lives in Ocoee, Fla., bought Belle two years ago after seeing her in the window of a pet store.
”I felt sorry for her,” Weaver said. ”I went in and said, ’She’s mine.’”
It was after he bought Belle that someone who knew about his problems with diabetes suggested getting her trained as a medical assistance dog. She was taught to sense when his blood sugar was high or low by using her sensitive nose to sniff his breath.
Belle was also taught to call for help by biting down on the 9 on a cell-phone keypad.
”She loves me and I love her,” Weaver told the Post. ”She’s my best friend, that’s for sure.”
Copyright 2006 by United Press International
WASHINGTON (UPI) -- A Florida beagle was to be honored Monday for saving the life of her diabetic master by biting down on his cell phone to get help.
Kevin Weaver went into a diabetic coma and woke up in a hospital with no memory of passing out on his kitchen floor.
Belle is the first animal to receive the VITA Wireless Samaritan Award, presented in Washington by the CTIA Wireless Foundation to those who use cell phones to save lives, the Washington Post reported.
Kevin Weaver, a former flight attendant who lives in Ocoee, Fla., bought Belle two years ago after seeing her in the window of a pet store.
”I felt sorry for her,” Weaver said. ”I went in and said, ’She’s mine.’”
It was after he bought Belle that someone who knew about his problems with diabetes suggested getting her trained as a medical assistance dog. She was taught to sense when his blood sugar was high or low by using her sensitive nose to sniff his breath.
Belle was also taught to call for help by biting down on the 9 on a cell-phone keypad.
”She loves me and I love her,” Weaver told the Post. ”She’s my best friend, that’s for sure.”
Copyright 2006 by United Press International