Michelle and Spring

Putting a Spring in Michelle’s step 

Michelle has a rare condition called Addison’s disease, which means her body doesn’t produce cortisol due to Adrenal gland failure. Michelle’s body can’t cope with any stressful event whether it be really happy or really sad – even watching something very emotional on TV can affect her blood pressure and blood sugar levels and leave her fatigued. Michelle is not aware when her cortisol levels drop, and this can lead to a life-threatening Addisonian crisis requiring urgent hospital admission. 

Spring is actually the second life-saving nose to help Michelle manage her condition and has taken over from her retired Medical Alert Assistance Dog, Clive. Successor dog, Spring, alerts her when her levels are dropping and she takes extra medication to counter this. 

Before Clive or Spring, Michelle became progressively very poorly, stopped going out and spent a lot of time in hospital. She relied on constant adult supervision and lost her independence and confidence entirely.

Michelle’s journey with Medical Detection Dogs started when she and her husband took a trip to Crufts one year and discovered the Medical Detection Dogs stand. She spoke to Co-Founder and CEO, Claire Guest, about Clive’s ‘irritating’ behaviour and Claire suggested that Clive, who was a pet dog, may actually have been trying to alert Michelle that she was about to become unwell.

This turned out to be exactly what he was doing and after several years as a very successful assistance dog, keeping Michelle out of hospital and giving her the confidence to live her life again, he retired and assumed the role of very important pet. At first Michelle didn’t think she would need another Medical Alert Assistance Dog. She says; “I knew how amazing Clive was but after eight years, I’d forgotten what life was like before.”

It soon became clear just how much Michelle needed another wet-nosed lifesaver as without the alerts she started to become seriously unwell again. She says: “I was spending lots of time in hospital, new conditions were developing and I had a huge increase in steroids through my pump during that time.”

Whilst it was evident that she needed to think about another assistance dog for her health it was a process that she found quite challenging to think about and Michelle says honestly, “I didn’t think it could be done again.” 

That all changed at a matching day at the Medical Detection Dogs training Centre when Michelle met Spring for the first time. Michelle says: “I fell in love with Spring at first sight and I feel sure it was the same for Spring as we couldn’t be apart from each other - he just stayed with me, cuddled up with me and sat on my knee.”

When Spring subsequently went to live with Michelle, he soon started alerting which was then backed up by Clive. Michelle says: “We all just started crying. Since then, it’s been incredible and we’ve not looked back. He paws me gently or delicately jumps up and will bark if he feels I’m not noticing quickly enough and these alerts are unmistakable. He does it whether he’s playing with other dogs, at the beach or even when I’m asleep. He’s always watching out for me and I’m always watching out for him.”

Having Spring has meant Michelle can start to get her Addison’s under control again and get her life back on track. Spring goes everywhere with Michelle and he’s allowed Michelle to continue working full time, without needing someone always keeping an eye on her in her office. He has even been given an honorary member of staff badge by the Chief Constable of Humberside Police, where she works! 

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