The Kent County Health Department is thrilled to announce the Kent County Animal Shelter (KCAS) met its goal of 300 adoptions in the ASPCA/Rachel Ray $100K Challenge, which was held August 1-October 31, 2012.  That’s 174 adoptions more than last year.  In all, 674 pets were saved in the three month challenge – 137 more than last year.

The winning shelter will receive $100,000 in prize money.  KCAS did not save the most pets in the competition, but the contest helped build awareness about the KCAS and the thousands of animals that come through the doors every year.  “This competition brought in dozens of families who had never come to the Kent County Animal Shelter in the past,” said Cathy Raevsky, the Administrative Health Officer of the Kent County Health Department.  “Our dedicated staff worked incredibly hard to promote adoptions and return lost pets to their owners over the past three months.”

ALLENDALE, Mich. (WZZM)- Life will soon get easier for an Allendale boy thanks to a furry new friend. Alex Koch, 10, suffers from diabetes and his sugar levels can get dangerously high or low.

He spent Wednesday morning, waiting for "Ace." The service dog will be a welcome addition the whole family. "We wake up, our first thought is, we have to check on Alex to see if he's okay," says Christine Koch.

She and her husband Dave have been struggling to control their son's type one diabetes for nine years. They hope Ace can help.

The 14-week old puppy is a Labrador Retriever. He comes from Guardian Angel Service Dogs. His trainer, James Faulkner says the pup is already scent trained. James says, "If a diabetic's sugar gets too high, it will put off a cotton candy scent. If it's too low, it's an acetone or nail polish scent."