CCSS ELA Review Week 5
SIT, STAY, SAVE MY LIFE
How dogs (like Parker!) are protecting kids with life-threatening
allergies
by Lauren Tarshis
It’s the first day of school in Northfield, New Hampshire, and fifth-grader Grace
Denney has arrived at school with the most awesome back-to-school accessory ever: her
new dog. Parker. Children and teachers smile and giggle as the 2-year-old Australian
Labradoodle trots through the hallway on his leash.
But Parker isn’t here to make new friends. He has a serious job: to keep Grace safe.
Parker is an Allergy Alert dog, trained to sniff out peanuts and tree nuts that could threaten
Grace’s life. Grace is so severely allergic to these foods that simply breathing while in an
area where someone is eating a peanut butter sandwich can throw her body into a
terrifying crisis known as anaphylaxis. Her throat swells up, making it hard for her to
breathe. Without quick medical help, people suffering from anaphylaxis can die within
minutes.
In the United States, I in 13 children under the age of 18 have food allergies. For
most, simply not eating a food they are allergic to is enough to avoid becoming sick. But for
a small number of kids, just touching or inhaling a tiny amount of an allergen can be deadly.
Life-Changing
For kids like Grace, threats are everywhere, and they are often impossible to see –
an invisible smear of peanut butter on a library book, a pinprick-size speck of almond on a
computer keyboard, fumes from peanut butter cookies baking in a grocery store oven. Even
a playdate next door is risky, as is being on an airplane while a flight attendant hands out
little bags of nuts. As a result, many kids with such allergies end up spending most of their
time at home.
And this is why dogs like Parker are, for some kids, truly life-changing. Parker goes
everywhere Grace goes: to visit friends, to her grandparents’ house, to piano lessons, to
church. Because he is an official service dog, Parker is allowed to enter places where dogs
are normally banned, like restaurants, grocery stores, and schools. In Grace’s fifth-grade
classroom, Parker sits quietly near her desk while she works. When it’s time to go to the
computer lab or library or gym, Parker goes first.
“Parker, check it!” Grace commands. Off he goes, sniffing every inch – the chair
where Grace will sit, the computer mouse she will hold, the water fountain she might drink
from. If he finds a trace of nuts (which he often does), he sits down and points his nose
toward the danger. Teachers then clean up the area so it is safe for Grace.
Leading a Normal Life
Parker might sound like a superhero dog. But, in fact, almost all breeds of dogs have
the extraordinary ability to detect different scents even in tiny amounts. A canine’s sense of
smell is one of nature’s most powerful forces – and at least 10,000 times more powerful
than our own. For centuries, humans have been relying on dogs’ sniffing powers for
everything from hunting to solving crimes.
CCSS ELA Review Week 5
The idea of training dogs to help kids with allergies was the inspiration of a woman
named Sherry Mers. Her own daughter Riley has a peanut allergy so severe that Riley was
constantly in the emergency room. Like many parents of severely allergic children, Mers
felt helpless and wondered how Riley would lead a normal life.
Then one night, Mers was watching a TV news show about a group of specially
trained beagles. These dogs work at U.S. airports, helping police find fruits, vegetables, and
plants hidden in suitcases. It is illegal for anyone to bring live plants or fresh produce from
other countries into the U.S. This prevents the spread of insects and diseases that could
threaten U.S. farms or wildlife.
Fruit-Sniffing Beagles
Mers watched the sniffing beagles on the TV with excitement. “I thought to myself, if
a dog can be trained to find a pineapple hidden in a suitcase, why couldn’t a dog be trained
to find a peanut in the corner of a classroom.
Today, Mers is doing just that. She started an organization called Angel service Dogs
that trains Allergy Alert dogs like Parker and matches them with kids like Grace. The
training is intense and starts when the dogs are just puppies. Over many months, the dogs
are taught to track down peanuts and tree nuts, and to alert their owners when they find
them. The first dog, Rock’O, went to Mer’s daughter Riley.
“He changed our life,” Mers says.
Since then, Mers and her team have provided trained Allergy Alert dogs for 70
families. The cost to the families is high: $20,000 per dog. Most families spend months
raising money from friends and members of their community.
But the program is growing, and for many families, the dogs are priceless.
Grace has not had one allergic reaction since Parker’s arrival.
“He protects me,” Grace says. “He’s my best friend.”
CCSS ELA Review Week 5
INFORMATIONAL TEXT
What Causes Allergies?
Our own body’s defense system against disease is to blame
Imagine a huge army of tiny soldiers living inside your body. They are working
around the clock to protect you from disease and infection. Anytime a germ invades your
body, bam, the army attacks, working to destroy the germ before it makes you sick.
This army really does exist inside you (but no, it’s not made up of tiny men and
women). It’s your immune system. It is made up of cells, tissues, and chemicals that work
together to protect your body. It can detect germs and other “invaders” that could make
you sick. And then it seeks to destroy these germs, through a complicated series of chemical
reactions.
The immune system is incredibly effective, but it can get confused. Sometimes it
mistakes something harmless – like a peanut that someone eats or a speck of tree pollen
that gets inhaled – as a deadly threat. The immune system goes on the attack against this
“enemy” – and this is what an allergic reaction is. For people with allergies, instead of
protecting them, their immune systems actually cause harm. Usually the result is pretty
mild – an itchy rash, a drippy nose, watery eyes – and most people can control their
allergies with medicine. But sometimes the allergic response is life-threatening, unleashing
chemicals that put enormous stress on the body and interfere with breathing. Scientists
have not yet discovered ways to prevent these reactions, or even predict when they will
happen.
Food allergies are far more common today than when your parents were growing
up, though scientists aren’t sure why. In fat, much about allergies remains a mystery.
Only one thing is certain: For many people, allergies are nothing to sneeze at.
 Cow’s milk is the most common food allergy in young children.
 Peanuts are the leading cause of severe food allergies.
 Eggs are the second-most-common food allergy in children and are in many baked
goods.
CCSS ELA Review Week 5
“Sit, Stay, Save My Life!” Quiz
1. The article “Sit, Stay, Save My Life!” is
mainly about –
a. how Allergy Alert dogs help people
b. the work of training dogs
c. the risks and benefits of eating
peanuts
d. the risks and benefits of allowing dogs
inside public buildings
2. In “Sit, Stay, Save My Life!” the reader
can infer that Grace’s school
community feels _____ about Parker’s
presence,
a. annoyed
b. confused
c. worried
d. delighted
3. According to “Sit, Stay, Save My Life!”
one symptom of anaphylaxis is –
a. coughing
b. difficulty breathing
c. sweaty palms
d. sneezing
4. Which of the following statement is
NOT supported by the two articles?
a. Some people are allergic to tree
pollen.
b. A serious allergic reaction can quickly
result in death.
c. The immune system exists to protect
the body.
d. Although he helps Grace, Parker is
still banned from some public
buildings.
5. In which way are the two articles
similar?
a. They both explain the immune
system.
b. They both describe symptoms of an
allergic reaction.
c. They both explain how Allergy Alert
dogs are trained.
d. They both quote people who have
experience with food allergies.
6. According to “What Causes Allergies?”
eggs are –
a. the leading cause of severe food
allergies
b. the most common cause of food
allergies in young children
c. the second-most-common cause of
food allergies in children
d. present in numerous daily foods
7. Which allergen is mentioned in both
articles?
a. almonds
b. eggs
c. pollen
d. peanuts
8. What is the tone of Grace’s quote at the
end of “Sit, Stay, Save My Life!”?
a. sad
b. concerned
c. doubtful
d. grateful
9. The article says that Allergy Alert dogs cost $20,000. What information in the text helps
explain this high price?
10. In the informational text, what does “nothing to sneeze at” mean? Why does the author
use this expression?
CCSS ELA Review Week 5
ANSWER KEY
1. A (main idea)
2. D (inference)
3. B (key detail)
4. D (text evidence)
5. B (compare/contrast)
6. C (key detail)
7. D (compare/contrast)
8. D (tone)
9. The article describes intensive training for Allergy Alert dogs. Paying a trainer for
“many months” of hard work could come to $20,000. (text evidence)
10. The expression “nothing to sneeze at” means “not to take lightly.” The author is
creating a play on words, because allergies can result in sneezing. (author’s craft)