Doppler is my hero. Like most Labrador Retrievers, she has a very highly developed sense of humor and is not afraid show it. Every day is a new adventure, and she greets the days with joy and enthusiasm, always wearing a big Lab grin. In addition to being my constant companion and best friend, Doppler is also my service dog. It was in this working capacity that she saved my life in the early morning hours of Tuesday, March 5, 2002.

Doppler and I became a working Assistance Dog team in June 1999 when we graduated from KSDS, Inc. in Washington, Kansas. As soon as we returned home after our two weeks of intensive team training, we continued to work and train for all the special skills I needed Doppler to help me with. One of these skills was for Doppler to be able to retrieve the portable phone and bring it to me from anywhere in my two-story townhome in case of an emergency, all the while hoping that we would never have an emergency where I would need her to do that! Well, all of our continued training really paid off.

I have rheumatoid arthritis and systemic lupus erythematosus. Both of these diseases are classified as autoimmune, which very simply put means that my immune system sees my own body cells as the "invaders" and attacks them, trying to destroy them. During the night of March 5, 2002, I had a severe flareup of my diseases, which means they were very active. The pattern for me is that these flares come on very quickly, and I have very little warning that they are going to happen. The inflammation and pain throughout my entire body is quite excruciating. It is difficult to describe, but needless to say, it is quite terrifying - especially because I live alone.

In a matter of 20-30 minutes, I could not walk or move because of the pain, and I was having difficulty breathing. I could not even roll over in bed to reach the phone that was only about 3 feet away. I knew that if I did not get medical help as soon as possible, I would be in real trouble. It was at this point that Doppler was able to go downstairs, get the portable phone and literally drop it on my chest so that I could start making some phone calls to get the help I needed. The paramedics arrived, and they were able to get me to the hospital so that treatment could be started. Do I believe that Doppler saved my life that night? Absolutely! If it were not for her I might not even be here, able to share her story with you.

Doppler and I have been partners for over five years now, and during this time she has brought me so much joy and laughter, in addition to the many things she assists me with in my daily living. My hope and prayer is that we will have many more years to work together as a team, and to be best friends. Thank you KSDS for making this partnership possible!!