For Thorsten Habel, the assistant dog Hanni is something like life insurance on four paws. She helps her master through life and has long since become a small celebrity online.
Dortmund – Hanni is now known as a colorful one dog, but it looks quite unspectacular: The friendly one Labrador-Dame has a brown fur and matching, pretty brown eyes. Hanni is quite a celebrity online and as a Influencerin animal successful. On Instagram (Assistance dog.Hanni) are already followed by over 10,000 people. Because Hanni has a pretty impressive job: she is Assistenzhund years Anaphylaxis got sick Thorsten Habel and thus his guardian angel and his potential lifesaver.
| Name | Hanni |
| Dog breed | Labrador |
| function | Assistance dog for anaphylaxis |
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Dog helps Thorsten Habel from Dortmund through life – Hanni notices emergencies early on
Lived for a good four years Hanni now at Thorsten Habel, and the 43 year old Dortmund can hardly imagine life without her. When Habel fell ill with anaphylaxis a good 16 years ago, his life changed suddenly. “I have to expect an allergic shock at any time, which I can choke on if I have any doubts,” says the BVB fan. The seizures come without warning, the symptoms are similar to those of a peanut allergy: the tongue swells, the airways narrow, and there is a risk of suffocation.
Habel was particularly afraid at night. “While such an allergic shock is announced during the day and the tongue begins to tingle, for example, I usually only wake up at night when I can no longer breathe,” says Habel. In the Emergency room at the Dortmund clinic if that is why he was a regular customer for a long time, “in the end we all dumped each other there”. But since Hanni is with him, he goes back to bed without fear. “And can finally sleep through the night again.” Labrador bitch is trained to have a emergency at Habel to recognize early. “Much earlier than I could myself,” says Habel.
Dog helps Thorsten Habel from Dortmund through life – no more mortal danger
While other sniffer dogs can now sniff out drugs, USB sticks and other things, has Hanni learned to sense an allergic attack. If this is at night Thorsten Habel threatens, she wakes her master – and immediately has the first aid kit in her mouth: a syringe with adrenaline, which ensures that Habel not in mortal danger device.
The Dortmund can still look good Hannis Remember first mission: “She was so excited at the time that she forgot the syringe. But that wasn’t a problem because she woke me up early enough. ”How often Hanni has been on emergency duty in the past four years has changed Habel not noted. “I would have to ask the doctor how many new syringes he gave me.” But the number of her rescue missions has long been in the high double-digit range. Some time ago, Habel had a portrait of Hanni tattooed on his forearm, “because she was in mine Life plays such an important role ”.
Dog helps Thorsten Habel from Dortmund through life – Habel fights for privileges for assistance dogs
Habel has the enormous advantages of Assistenzhunden got to know and appreciate. And that’s why has been fighting for some time that the health insurance companies reimburse the purchase of assistance dogs. “So far, this has only been done with guide dogs for the blind, but not with dogs like Hanni and those who have learned Diabetics or Epileptikern to assist ”, reports Habel. For him incomprehensible, because: “These dogs not only help their owners, but also save a lot of money because there are not so many Emergency operations comes. “
since Hanni was with him, he didn’t have a bad one emergency had more that he had to request help from third parties or emergency medical treatment. Such a Assistenzhund is expensive: “Hanni cost me 13,000 euros, over 10,000 euros more than a normal Labrador from the breeder,” he says. Yet the cost of this dogs that would save in the long term would be immense.
A tattoo as proof of love: Thorsten Habel had a portrait of Hanni stabbed on his forearm.
© Jens Greinke
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Also fights Habel together with the “Pfotenpiloten” initiative, that Assistenzhunde get more privileges such as access rights: in administrations, in retail or even in medical practices. Information brochures and stickers are in Habel’s living room, one of which is now emblazoned on the Dortmund City Clinic. “May there Assistenzhunde now in “, says Habel. As the first city in North Rhine-Westphalia, Cologne recently granted assistance dogs access to all municipal facilities. “I’m trying to achieve that in Dortmund too,” says the 43-year-old. Initial contact with Lord Mayor Thomas Westphal has already been made.
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