13-year-old Jeff Glazer of Ansonia spent much of his childhood inside his house, where he was safe. Jeff has an extreme allergy to peanuts. Casual contact could possibly result in death for Jeff.
“I wished I was normal, I wished I was just a normal kid who didn’t have an allergy," Jeff said.
Growing up he only ate food that was prepared by his parents. It was their job to keep him safe. Now they have help, in the form of a yellow lab named Riley.
Riley is service dog, but he doesn’t serve a blind owner, he sniffs out the scent of peanuts so his owner Jeff can avoid them. “He’s saved me from reactions so many times. He’s a real life saver,"Jeff said.
Jeff’s parents were able to come up with the $10,000 it took to get Riley. They got him from trainer Leslie Staven, who owns the company called "I Smell Trouble."
Riley was a rescue dog, abandoned by someone before being adopted by Staven. She trained him for 8 months before he was ready for a new home, and a new mission, keeping a boy safe.
Jeff’s mother sees it as one more layer of protection for her only child. “It’s a safety net, It really is. He still needs to use his head and ask questions and read labels, but we sleep a lot better," Lisa Glazer said.
Health
Everyone who enters the Glazer’s home has to be sniffed by Riley, who makes it clear when he smells peanuts. The family must also work on constantly re-enforcing his training by hiding peanut candy inside wrappers in the house. The dog then has to sniff it out.
Riley will be by Jeff’s side when he heads off to high school in the fall, sniffing any desk or calculator Jeff uses. Using a wipe usually solves the danger, according to Lisa Glazer.
Riley is giving Jeff a sense of independence as he enters his teenage years, just wanting to do some of the things his peers do. “It’s amazing, I’m able to go to movies. I can bring him to sleepovers and parties and have him search the food. I can actually have birthday cake at birthday parties and that kind of stuff.”
