Man's best friend, four-legged companions who are always by your side. For two Kern County high school students that means their dogs even go to school with them.
We are all aware of guide dogs for the blind, but here in Kern County, man's best friend is keeping two high school students out of harm's way with their uncanny dog sense.
Cameron Meyer is a junior at Liberty High School and is just a normal teenager with one exception. He brings his dog to school.
Duke is a service dog that keeps Cameron away from peanut and peanut residue of which he is deathly allergic.
"My dog, Duke, he's a Portuguese Water Dog and he helps me with peanut allergies and finds peanuts and keeps me safe at school," said Cameron.
Cameron's allergy to peanuts is so severe, exposure to peanut particles can kill him, which nearly happened when he was in the 7th grade.
"He didn't eat anything but somehow came in contact with peanuts at the middle school and did end up in anaphylactic shock and taken to the hospital so he can actually just stop breathing," said Frank Meyer, Cameron's father.
A year and half ago, Cameron was introduced to Duke, then just a puppy.
"We began the peanut training this past August, and so he's pretty much right on track with everything," said Meyer.
With extensive training, Duke is now a certified service dog and has been trained to sniff out any remnants of peanuts. He signals Cameron by pawing at him not to come closer.
At Frontier High School, Jacob Saecker brings his dog, Thor, for a different reason.
"He's an autism service dog. He picks up on the brain waves. Like if I were to get real agitated he would sense that and what he does is he would get my attention away from that to help me deescalate," said Saecker.
Jacob is autistic and lives in a fear-filled world. Thor senses Jacob's anxiety and alerts him to calm down and focus, which is instrumental to Jacob's education.
The versatility of service dogs is expanding. Today not only are they man's best friend, but man's lifesaver.
