Cassidy Weidler is a junior here, about a month ago she got her first service dog, Picasso. Picasso is attending school alongside Weidler to help her with a task she struggles with daily.

  Weidler is a type 1 diabetic and she can not tell when her blood sugar drops like other diabetic patients can. This could result in very dangerous situations for Weidler.

     Picasso is trained to alert her when her blood sugar starts to drop. He does this by detecting a certain scent from his owner, whether it be the breath or sweat released from Weidler.

    At school or not, Picasso is almost always right by Weidler’s side.

    “He goes everywhere with me,”  Weidler said.

Since Picasso is just under two years old, he is still very energetic. Taking walks and letting him run and play around when the opportunities are given.

“During lunch, I take him outside to use the bathroom and to walk around,” Weidler said.

 Often times students will try and pet Picasso without Weidler’s permission. According to Weidler, she would appreciate it if students tried and stayed away from behaviors that may startle or disrupt Picasso and the services he is supposed to be providing, like approaching Picasso and petting him without asking.

     “It makes me feel uncomfortable and I would rather people not pet him.” Weidler said.