6-year-old sells hundreds of pumpkins to help pay for his diabetes alert dog

Ian Unger wanted to be able to ride the school bus with his friends, but in order to do so, he either needed an adult assistant or a service dog that could alert him if his blood sugar dropped.

The 6-year-old first-grader from Sand Lake, Michigan, was diagnosed with Type 1 diabetes two years ago, and his school district said unless he had someone with him who could monitor his blood sugar levels, he couldn't ride the bus. His family decided it would be best to get him a diabetes alert dog, but because of the high price tag — $25,000, after training and fees — they knew it would take a few years to save up enough money.

Unger told his parents he wanted to earn money for the dog, and began selling lemonade. As summer turned to fall, he switched to pumpkins, which his family grows. "He's quite the little salesman," his mom, Katrina Christensen, told People. "We had hundreds of people in the driveway. He helped every single person pick out the right pumpkin. It was the coolest thing to see." Word spread online, and strangers ultimately raised $24,890 for Unger's dog (he earned $1,000 from the pumpkins and $110 from the lemonade). It will take about 10 months to train Unger's dog, and then he'll move in with his new family. Catherine Garcia

Subscribe to The Week

Escape your echo chamber. Get the facts behind the news, plus analysis from multiple perspectives.

SUBSCRIBE & SAVE

Sign up for The Week's Free Newsletters

From our morning news briefing to a weekly Good News Newsletter, get the best of The Week delivered directly to your inbox.

From our morning news briefing to a weekly Good News Newsletter, get the best of The Week delivered directly to your inbox.

Sign up