Former death row dog provides comfort and support to sick boy and his family that rescued her

Last December, I wrote about Lucas Hembree, a 4-year-old from Alcoa, TN with Sanfilippo type A/MPS III – a disorder with a life expectancy of just 15 years. He’s already had several surgeries and is losing his ability to walk.

Lucas' dad Chester wanted to get a service dog to help him, but the family couldn't afford to pay the $15,000 required to get one.

Instead, Chester decided, almost on a whim, to save a Belgian Malinois named Juno that was hours away from being killed in an East Tennessee animal shelter.

Using the experience he gained working with dogs while in law enforcement, Chester successfully trained Juno to be a service dog for Lucas, and now, as this recent video shows, the former rescue dog is now providing comfort and support for the family who saved her life.

Last Christmas, Lucas' parents asked people to send their son Christmas cards to brighten his holiday, and people from all over the world responded by sending thousands of cards to Lucas.

Yesterday, they posted on Lucas' Facebook page that his 5th birthday is March 2nd. Most children with Sanfilippo type A/MPS III deteriorate rapidly after age and eventually slip into a vegetative by age 7.

Lucas' parents said they would appreciate it if people could send Lucas birthday cards to help him celebrate what may be his last birthday when he will be somewhat active and alert. Here is their address if you'd like to send Lucas a birthday card:

Lucas Hembree

204 McKinley St.

Alcoa, TN 37701

Please forward this post to other people so we can get as many cards to Lucas as possible.

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Reader Comments

What an incredible story. Hooray for Lucas' dad taking the time and patience needed to train a rescue dog to become an aide dog for his son. That kind of love is not seen all the time, for both children and animals, and I think Chester is a hero for displaying it. The photo of Lucas and Juno is precious. I hope Lucas has a wonderful 5th birthday with lots of love and laughter!