The Globosits family welcomed a new family member July 11.

The newcomer is Züker, a 4-month-old chocolate Labrador retriever, who is capable of saving the life of one his new people.

A diabetic alert dog, Züker will give warnings when Matthew Globosits' blood sugar is at an unhealthy level.

Dogs have an extremely keen sense of smell, and their noses can pick up a huge variety of scents that we cannot detect, said Erin Gray, Züker's trainer. One of these scents is blood sugar. When the levels are awry, Züker will nudge or paw Matt, 15, to tell him.

The family decided that an alert dog was the best option after Matt experienced extremely low blood sugar one night in September and couldn't get out of bed.

His mother, Cindy, ordered the dog from Warren Retrievers, a company based in Virginia, but she did her research beforehand.

"I wanted to make sure we were getting the dog for the right reason," she said.

The dog doesn't come free, however. About $25,000 had to be raised for its purchase through bake sales and basket socials. Another fundraiser takes place July 18 when the Blue Monkey will donate 20 percent of money made on meals and drinks.

Züker has to be with Matt at all times, excluding in the bathroom. That means the little Lab will accompany Matt to Whitehall High School, where he will be the only service animal present.

Matt and his dog must bond with each other to produce effective results. The family was advised not to allow every curious child to pet the dog because Züker must stay focused on his owner.

Gray, who stayed with the family and Züker for four days for training, estimates that Züker will fully understand his job in about two years.

The Globosits family stays positive about Matt and his condition. Matt does, too. He smiles and laughs as the dog lumbers over to him and lies down.

And you can't ignore the clever name, either: "Züker" is a modified version of the Hungarian and German words for "sugar."