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When a veteran’s 'silent' service dog suddenly barked and pawed at him, his mom urged a blood test — and her terrifying warning came true

He said he had sunk into depression and was ready to give up on life, but everything changed when the dog came into his life.

BY PAHUL NANRA

PUBLISHED 12 HOURS AGO

(L) A dog barking and pawing at owner. (R) A man checking his sugar. (Representative Cover Image Source: Getty Images | (L) Boris Zhitkov, (R) Olga Dobrovolska)

A story from Georgia touched many hearts when a Marine veteran’s "silent" service dog suddenly began barking and pawing at him, leading to a discovery that would save his life. The incident took place in November 2025, when his mother noticed the dog’s unusual behavior and urged her son to take a blood test. Her warning turned out to be terrifyingly true, marking a turning point in his life.

A service dog, walks with its owner, through and airport terminal. (Representative Image Source: Getty Images | Greggory DiSalvo) — A service dog, walks with its owner, through an airport terminal. (Representative Image Source: Getty Images | Greggory DiSalvo)

As reported by 11 Alive News, Marine veteran Carl Jenkins says he wasn’t looking for help when his wife and parents brought him to the Top Dogg K9 Foundation in metro Atlanta. That single visit, though, turned out to be the start of an unexpected new chapter. “It was a Godsend. It was life-changing,” Jenkins shared with the news channel. At that point in his life, he felt completely hopeless. “I was about 360 pounds. I had chronic back pain, chronic knee pain every single day, hard to get up out of bed. I was highly depressed and I was giving up on life,” he expressed. That’s when Sampson entered his life, a service dog who would soon become both his companion and protector. “First dog they brought out,” Jenkins shared, “He came straight up to me, got in between my legs, jumped up, put a paw on both my shoulders.”

Person taking sugar test. (Representative Image Source: Pexels | Artem Podrez)

Sampson was not just a comfort to Jenkins; he was a guardian in disguise. “I didn’t know I was diabetic, and he never barked. Then all of a sudden he started barking and pawing at me,” Jenkins recalled. His mother, who also lives with diabetes, urged him to test his blood sugar, which turned out to be an alarming 598. “I went to the ER, and the doctors told me that saved my life. I was about to go into a diabetic coma.” Jenkins says Sampson did more than help him heal; he gave his life a new direction. “It brings a lot of structure to a chaotic mind. It brings you out of that state, mentally, physically,” he said. Now at 40, he hopes other veterans understand that help comes in many forms. “I should not have given up on life at the age of 31,” he said. “And I needed that push, that help from being here, to get the help that I needed. It's not always about going to therapy. This is therapy.”

These service canines have always shown up when needed. In another heroic incident, Army and Marine Corps veteran Hank Ford credited his dog Tommy with saving his life. Ford, who had served 20 years in the military and was then working at a Colorado golf course, relied on Tommy to help manage PTSD. But in February 2025, the dog’s instincts saved him physically. Tommy barked and jumped on the sleeping veteran that morning until he realized he was unwell and felt dizzy, lightheaded, and extremely weak. At the hospital, doctors found his heart in dangerous atrial fibrillation, a condition that could have caused a stroke or death if untreated. “I believe that if it wasn’t for him, I wouldn’t be sitting here right now,” Ford said.