In case you didn’t know, we have 2 amazing, diabetes sniffing, low blood sugar warning, high blood sugar alerting super dogs. A couple of days ago, I met someone while I was out and about with Raven. She was behind me in line, and asked about what service she provided. As i explained her job to her, she looked at me and said “is that all she does?”. I was taken aback for a second, and then I realized that once again, I was dealing with someone that perceives diabetes as a “not so serious, user fixable” disease. And it was one of those days that I just didn’t need the aggravation. I was buying a replacement part to fix our only toilet, and was kinda in a hurry 🙂  So here is my open letter to the “woman standing behind me at Home Depot”

Dear Woman at Home Depot,

Normally, someone with an ounce of empathy marvels at how amazing it is that we have dogs with the ability to save our child’s life. The fact that these dogs can detect this scent from 100 yards away, outside at a football game, with screaming and sweating and popcorn and hot dog scent wafting around is normally enough to impress even the most hardened of us. Some people are amazed that our dogs just lay there ignoring you while you make cooing sounds and bend down to touch them as you read out loud the “DO NOT PET” patch while running over their tails with your cart. But not you. No, you want more. And I apologize for not impressing you at the time, not entertaining you with stories of Christmas carols and vomiting and trips to intensive care with a dog that saved my childs life, or regaling you with stories of mass elevation in front of a room full of people with my daughter outside and 3 buildings away to alert to a low in a room full of diabetics that were high after lunch, so let me make up for it here. Because here are just a few of the other “services” our dogs provide.

We already know that these dogs can “smell” changes in a diabetics blood sugar. They can also detect it 5-30 minutes before these changes are picked up even by the most current technology. As a matter of fact, our dogs are so accurate, they can detect the BS when it drops below 85 or over 165. I know, “yawn”. “What else ya got?”

These dogs are our workout partners. They keep us healthy and in shape. They don’t care that it’s cold or wet or 5am. They need exercise, and guess what, so do we!

They make great pillows when you can’t find one. And if you are just laying down to watch a little tv or play a video game, they are the perfect height.

They make amazing snuggle buddies

They are great kissers

They provide some much needed comic relief

They give us ways to focus our energies, work with our strengths, problem solve, and have a sense of accomplishment and satisfaction when we have taught them something new, or vice versa

They make excellent models, and allow us to indulge our passion for photography

They protect us and keep us company when we are in scary places

They really like to swim

And they have this uncanny knack for knowing exactly what you need, at the exact time you need it

So I say to you, woman in line at Home Depot, that yes, that really is all they do. Because honestly, If I really, truly, have to explain to you all of the amazing things that our dogs do for us, you wouldn’t understand anyway.

By the way, some of us believe these dogs are superheroes, just like our kids

Team Blackdogsrule