We got the chance to meet a truly amazing dog last week - a black lab named Adele. One of the members of the Snif Labs team, Mitch, met Adele and her owner Marty Harris, while walking his dog and convinced her to come by the Snif Labs office to share her inspirational story with the whole team.

This dog is truly amazing! Adele is a service dog who is specially trained to be able to sense when her owner Marty is about to lose consciousness due to a rare heart problem. Adele will alert Marty to sit or lie down BEFORE she actually faints. Doctors don’t even understand how Adele is able to sense an oncoming episode (she can also sense things like oncoming seizures & low blood sugar in diabetics), but they think that dogs are able to use their more sophisticated senses of smell and/or hearing to detect very subtle changes that happen to a person before they have an episode.

While they were in the office, we actually got to see Adele alert Marty. I think Mitch put it best when he said that it “gave him chills”.

Adele was trained by an amazing organization called Canine Partners for Life. They train service dogs to help people with muscular dystrophy, multiple sclerosis, cerebral palsy, spinal cord injuries, seizure disorders and more.

To learn more about Adele and how she helps Marty in her day to day life check out this feature on them that was in the Boston Globe.

A company offering people the opportunity to “rent a dog” looks like it will be stopped from opening in Boston due to a legislative ban. FlexPetz, set up last year in San Diego by Marlena Cervantes, lets people who are unable to own a dog simply hire one for a few hours. But State Rep. Paul K. Frost, and state Sen. Edward M. Augustus Jr., aren’t happy with the idea and recently filed legislation which, if successful, will ban the pet rental business in Massachusetts.

According to this story in the Worcester Telegram & Gazette, Frost, who owns a Labrador and a golden retriever, said “The MSPCA and dog officers in other towns oppose this business. I know what kind of bond there is with a dog. You don’t rent out members of your family.”

What do you think? Is this a good way to let people enjoy spending a little time with a dog if they are unable to keep one as a pet, or is it unfair for the dogs themselves?

As Spring tries to break through the Boston winter, many people’s thoughts are turning to summer vacations and plans for getting away. As a pet owner there is the added dilemma - aside from where to go, how to get there, and how much you can get into your suitcase: should you take your dog with you, find a dog sitter or book a kennel?

If you are toying with the latter and concerned about where you can book and have peace of mind that your stay-at-home pooch is being cared for, then PetSmart’s PetsHotel in Cambridge, Mass, may be able to meet all your – and your dog’s - needs.

Created in association with Doggie Day Camp, the PetsHotel offers atrium rooms, pet-themed televisions, lambskin blankets, with personal care and attention. Day Camp and Overnight Care are available, starting from $14 and $27 respectively. Check it out at http://petshotel.petsmart.com/

Have you used PetsHotel or any similar pet hotels? If so, tell us what you think!