Every animal that enters our shelter holds its own unique place in our hearts. But sometimes, an animal comes along that has an effect on our entire community; that was the case with Leo.
When Leo was born in our shelter on January 11, 2013, this little puppy had no idea how he would change the mindset and direction of Lenawee Humane Society. His journey inspired us to think outside the box and come together as a community to not only save his life, but also the life of a college student who was desperate for a miracle.
You see, thanks to Danielle Ward, who was working at Adrian College at the time; Ted Aranda from Aranda Dog Training; Lenawee Humane Society and the entire community at large, Leo went on to be a diabetic alert dog for Clay Paul, a college student who found himself struggling to sleep at night in fear that he may not wake up.
Over the past 9 years, Leo has alerted Clay to his low blood sugar countless times. He has also been Clay’s rock through the most difficult times in his life while also being at his side to celebrate some of his best moments so far. Leo has been Clay’s life saver, his secret keeper, a shoulder to lean on and all-around best friend ever!
Sadly, Leo was recently diagnosed with bone cancer and he crossed the Rainbow Bridge yesterday, loved and cherished beyond measure. There is an emptiness in the Paul house today and in the hearts of all who were touched by Clay and Leo’s story.
Leo showed us the miracles that are made possible when we come together as a community, partnering with the local college, local organizations and small local businesses. Our executive director, who was fairly new to the organization at the time, realized how we could impact human lives through animals. She knew she had finally found her calling. After we saved Leo’s life, he went on to save Clay. Not only could we save animal’s lives, but we could save people’s lives too; and thus, our new mission was born: “Saving the lives of animals while enriching the lives of humans.”
So to the dog who saved his human multiple times and revolutionized the way we now serve our community, rest easy Leo. You definitely earned your wings and will be missed by many.
