Diabetic Pays Tribute to Dalmatians Who Pulled Him Out of Depression With Spotted Prosthetics

It’s no secret pets can have a profound impact on a person’s well-being — from a friendly presence when we come home from work at night, to pets that are specially trained to help with all sorts of mental and physical disabilities. Now, one man is paying tribute to his beloved dalmatians in an amazing way.

After Gordon Sanderson was diagnosed with diabetes, it changed his life completely. Sanderson had to have both legs and two fingers amputated due to his type-1 diabetes. The physical changes caused Sanderson to fall into a depression. According to Inside Edition, Sanderson feared he would lose his independence and didn’t want to get out of bed in the morning. But one thing kept him going: his two beloved dalmatians, Poppy and Harvey.

When it came time to get new prosthetics for his legs, Sanderson wanted a change. He eventually came across a pair online that he knew he just had to have.

Sanderson bought a pair of prosthetics that are spotted black and white, just like his adoring dogs. Now, Sanderson can be comforted at home when he’s with the dogs, but more importantly, his dalmatian prosthetics can comfort him whenever he’s away from the dogs as well.

Diabetic service dogs are actually quite common. These dogs help the more than 29 million Americans who have diabetes. The dogs are specially trained to detect when a person’s blood sugar levels rapidly change. Some animals have such an acute awareness of blood sugar changes, they can detect them from up to five miles away.

And Sanderson’s dalmatian prosthetics are a tribute to that.