AS brave schoolboy Mason Hale hugs five-month-old puppy Storm, he looks like any other beaming child who is happy to have a new best friend.
But the cute golden retriever is far from just a pet – the clever canine is being trained to save Mason’s life.
Six-year-old Mason, from Buckie, Moray, has so many allergies that he can’t go to soft play areas or the cinema.
And it means he often has to miss out on friends’ birthday parties – because even playing with a balloon and eating cake could kill him.
He has suffered thousands of allergic reactions and, in the last 18 months, doctors have had to save him on three separate occasions after his throat swelled up so much that it stopped him from breathing.
Now his parents, Kelly and David, have invested their trust and money in Storm, who will be trained to detect when Mason is about to have a reaction.
It will be his job to notice the signs and, using a special signal, alert Mason and those around him to the situation.
Once he is fully trained, Storm will even go to school with Mason, enabling the primary two pupil to get treatment earlier and prevent a life-threatening attack at any time of the day.
Mrs Hale, 30, said: “I remember the doctor saying every anaphylactic shock he has is a step closer to losing him for good.
“Mason has so many allergies. Even lighting a candle can cause a reaction, depending on what the candle is made of.
“Having Storm will give us more peace of mind and let him lead as normal a life as possible. He’ll be able to do things he couldn’t do before, like going on school trips. Now he’ll have the comfort of Storm being there with him, without fear.
“We only got him in July but the difference he has made to Mason’s life already is amazing. He is so much more confident, and wherever one goes, the other follows. They’re unbreakable.”
As Mason is allergic to dogs, even those bred for their non-casting fur, it took 18 months to build up his immunity to golden retrievers.
Mrs Hale said: “We looked into it and the retriever was the best dog for the training. So, when it came to retrievers, Mason had to spend a lot of time with them and we upped his medication until he became immune to them.”
Over the coming months, Mason and Storm will work together with professional trainers in their home so the dog can learn and perfect his life-saving skills.
He will learn how to detect when Mason is about to have a reaction by smelling even the slightest changes in his skin.
Once Storm is fully trained, which is expected to be around May next year, he will wear a special red coat to identify him as a medical assistance dog and will be with Mason 24 hours a day.
Mrs Hale said: “It’s fantastic. I think people underestimate the power of dogs. The training a dog can go through to save a life is incredible.”
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