TURNER — Five-year-old Ethan Rines introduced his new peanut-sniffing dog, Nicco, at his favorite pizza shop Thursday, thanking the owner and others who supported him in getting the specially trained Portuguese water dog.

Nicco walked around the tables at Antigoni’s Pizza on Route 4 and checked out anything near where the boy and his family were to sit, making sure there were no peanuts that would trigger the boy’s severe allergy.

Ethan introduced him to shop owner Antigoni Papagjika,
who donated pizza to some of the fundraisers held to pay for Nicco. The boy and his parents traveled to Angel Dogs in Colorado in
mid-October to train with the dog, and the newest member of the Rines family arrived here Saturday.

It was the latest step in their effort to prevent allergic reactions like those that forced Ethan to leave Turner Primary School this year. Ethan plans to return next month with Nicco at his side, but first school personnel will have to be taught how to work with Nicco.

The dog, when working, wears a harness that contains Ethan’s emergency medicines, the dog’s cleanup bags, wipes and a collapsible water dish. When entering a new place, the dog must be told, “seek,” to sniff out any peanuts or peanut products, said Jessie Rines, Ethan’s mother. And when working, he cannot be petted, the family advised.

She said the dog-training continues three or four times a week. She takes peanuts in special packets from a closed container and plants them over their 25-acre home site, she said. Each time Nicco finds a peanut, he gets a reward and a pat.

The reward is what keeps the dog working, Jessie said. “Nicco needs to love searching for peanuts more than petting. If he gets petted too much, he will just be a pet. We can’t put all our trust in the dog, either, but he is there for assurance.”

The dog will require special food and regular medical exams. To help with those expenses, there will be a benefit spaghetti supper and silent auction at 4 p.m. Saturday, Nov. 2,1 at the Boofy Quimby Memorial Hall in Turner. Those attending will be able to meet Nicco and Ethan. For more information, call Jessie Rines at 740-0515.

Ethan Rines, 5, gives his new dog, Nicco, a Portuguese water dog, a big hug after the dog sniffed around Antigoni’s Pizza in Turner for peanuts. Ethan is severely allergic to peanut products.