A perfect pair: Diane and her dog

Diane Dike and her dog, Gracie have saved each other's lives

Click to Enlarge Browse Vail Daily Photos Most of the time Gracie is strapped to Diane Dike's chest to help regulate her body temperature but Dike also takes Gracie for several walks a day. Kira Horvath/Vail Daily WEB EXTRAS Diane and Gracie, the service dog Get News Feeds

Scott N. Miller
November 27, 2006

Comments Print Email

SINGLETREE - Diane Dike's dog had already changed her life in 2004. But one day on a Florida beach that summer, Gracie, a seven-pound Italian greyhound, may have saved her master's life.

Dike, 40, has cryoglobulinemea, an incurable and exceedingly rare blood disease that has many of the worst features of diabetes, multiple sclerosis and lupus. Perhaps 500 people in the world have it. Those who live with it very long spend a lot of time in bed, or in the hospital.

When you see a service dog...

• Don't make kissy noises and call to it. • Don't ask to pet it. The dog is working. • Do interact with the human, not the dog.

But, since that day on the beach, Dike hasn't spent a night in the hospital she hadn't scheduled, and it's because of Gracie.

Gracie can predict when her human is about to have a flare-up of the disease. She does a lot more for Dike, making her a small, but indispensible part of her human's life.

The biggest problem with this blood disease is it makes its victims hyper-sensitive to temperature changes. Even slight changes in body temperature can result in symptoms, that, if not caught early, can cause people to lose fingers and toes, or, in extreme cases, arms and legs. Dike has photos of her own hands and feet following an outbreak. In some, her fingers look as if they've been frostbitten.

Dike has spent weeks in bed because of the disease, and, while she's able to walk and bike for short periods, her illness forces her to use a wheelchair if she's going to be out and about for very long. After several years of avoiding her wheelchair, she's more comfortable being seen in it these days.

"I want to keep my legs," she said.

Getting Gracie
Dike comes off bubbly as ginger ale, but she was feeling flat during one of her bedridden stretches about four years ago.

"When I was in bed so sick I said a prayer," Dike said. "I just asked, 'Lord, if it's your will, send me a puppy to take care of.'"

Diane Dike works out at the Vail Cascade Resort and Spa gym with Gracie strapped to her chest in a Snugglie. Diane must work out in full winter clothing because she does not create enough heat to pump her blood through her body. Kira Horvath/Vail Daily Browse Vail Daily Photos

Dike doesn't know where the prayer came from. She knew full well at the time she could barely care for herself, much less a pet.

But not long after saying that little prayer, a friend left Dike a voice mail about a little dog she'd seen.

"I want it so bad," the friend said, "But the lord says it's for you."

Dike believes her prayer and her friend's subsequent phone call weren't a coincidence. So she met Gracie. The little dog was in terrible shape, with a pair of broken legs and a tail that had been nearly torn off.

"She looked pitiful," Dike said. "But she looked so sweet."

Dike's husband Paul was skeptical about bringing a dog into the house. Of course, once he saw the dog, all opposition faded.

A dog with two broken legs can't move around much, so Dike carried Gracie in a sling on her chest during much of their first months together. That's when Dike discovered how therapeutic her new friend could be.

Carrying Gracie - whose body temperature is a steady, toasty 104 degrees - on her chest made life a lot easier for Dike. Gracie made it easier for her human to stay warm, and that, in turn, can thin out Dike's thick blood, making it a bit easier for her heart to pump.

That's when Dike started believing she had something special in Gracie.

"She keeps my temperature up, so she's doing something for me I can't do myself," Dike said. "That's the definition of a service dog."

How does that work?

Diane Dike's dog Gracie has the uncanny ability to predict an attack of the rare blood disease. It's a rare talent. So-called "seizure dogs" have been the subject of academic studies over the past 15 years or so, usually for their ability to detect epileptic seizures before they happen. What the studies have shown so far is that dogs either have the ability to predict seizures and other attacks or they don't. They can't be trained for the duty. Researchers believe the dogs may sense either changes in a person's scent or magnetic field.

At her service
Organizations that provide service dogs to the disabled scoffed at the idea that such a tiny dog could be much use to someone. The most optimistic of them said it would take two years to teach the dog all she needed to know.

"I might not have two years," Dike said. "I'm not guaranteed any tomorrows."

So Dike, who has earned a doctoral degree in psychology and human services, decided she'd train Gracie. She picked up several dog-training books, and before long, Gracie could do what service dogs are supposed to.

At the top of that list is being trained to do her business on command. But Gracie can pick up phones, pens or scissors if Dike drops them. And even in a chair across the room, the dog's eyes are focused on her human.

Once Gracie was trained, she earned a sling that tells the world she's a service dog, and please let her do her job.

But Dike didn't know how much service Gracie could provide.

On the beach
In July of 2004, Dike and Gracie were on that beach in Florida, sitting under an umbrella, enjoying the day. Dike decided to go for a short walk.

Gracie waits inside a locker at the Vail Cascade Resort and Spa Gym while Diane Dike showers after her workout. The seven-pound dog is trained to wait for her owner, she rarely barks and can go to the bathroom on command. Kira Horvath/Vail Daily Browse Vail Daily Photos

"I didn't get five steps before Gracie started freaking out," Dike said. "I was wearing a towel around my waist, and she started pulling it back toward the umbrella. She actually tore it. So I said 'Fine, we'll go back to the umbrella.'"

About 40 minutes later, Dike's disease flared up. When that happens, Dike has to sit or lie down, immediately. The consequences of not getting her legs elevated could be fatal.

"She never left me, she was always focused on me," she said.

As the months passed, Dike discovered Gracie had the ability to provide early warnings about flare-ups. That's why Dike hasn't had an unscheduled hospital visit in more than two years, a record for her.

But if the service dog companies were skeptical about Gracie, the public has been even more so. And that's where Dike sees an opportunity.

New opportunities
Dike has been ridiculed when going into businesses with Gracie. To fight the idea that a tiny dog can't be of service, Dike has written a couple of books. Folks at Wal-Mart have expressed some interest in selling the books, but Dike is still looking for a publisher.

Diane Dike, her husband, Paul, and Gracie worship at the Calvery Church in the auditorium of Berry Creek Middle School in Edwards. Kira Horvath/Vail Daily Browse Vail Daily Photos

One, "Gracie and Diane's Amazing Adventures," is a children's book, and explains the idea of service dogs to kids. Another, "God Made Only One of Me," is aimed at adults, and tells the story of Dike's disease, as well as her faith.

Dike has also started giving business seminars about dealing with the disabled in general, and specifically people with service dogs.

Thanks to Paul, who works at Avon's Wal-Mart store, Dike has given a few seminars at Wal-Marts in the area. The Dikes are now floating plans for the couple to travel the country, with Paul giving training lessons and Diane teaching employees about dealing with the disabled.

If a deal with Wal-Mart pans out, it will give the Dikes a chance to travel and spend more time together. And with a rare blood disease, it's impossible to tell how much time the couple might have.

It will also give Dike a chance to talk to others, something she does easily and eagerly.

"It's always been in my heart to help," she said. "I can help other disabled people and raise awareness. I just want to make a difference in the world for the good."


Staff Writer Scott N. Miller can be reached at 748-2930, or smiller@vaildaily.com.



Vail Daily, Vail Colorado