CGM’s and BG meters are tools. They are devices that provide information, generally of an exact moment in time. Diabetic alert dogs provide something different, something that in some cases is exact, and at other times is more nuanced. If trained well, they can provide more information than a screen with a number on it, a lot more, but the handler has to be in tune with their dog.
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“Oh my gosh, those dogs are wearing SHOES!”. If I had a dollar for how many times I overheard that as we walked through the Orange County Fair, I’d be rich. We live in Southern California, where the summer months (which seem to blast from March until November 😉 ) are often 90-100 degrees, and the asphalt gets hot enough to burn bare feet on humans, or paw pads on dogs. On a sunny day, even at 80 degrees, the asphalt can be upwards of 40 degrees hotter than the outside temperature. More »
So you decided to get a Diabetic Alert Dog (DAD). You’ve seen all the amazing things they can do, you know they can help you manage your diabetes (or your child’s diabetes), and you think you understand what it takes to share a household with one.
All the attendees to the 2014 Canine Hope DAD Conference
Once again, my track record for bursting into tears while talking about how amazing these dogs are, and all that they do for our family, is at 100%. If you were there, it was disjointed at best, and cut short as I couldn’t get through it. I always feel bad as I struggle with these. But I will give myself 1 compliment. I am passionate about what these dogs are capable of doing, both for diabetes, and for the general well being of their families. This is what my speech was supposed to sound like:
We just spent the weekend competing at the Long Beach Queen Mary dog show. Stella and Raven are going for their AKC Rally Advanced title. They got their Rally Novice title a month ago, and this was their first event going for Advanced. The main difference is Advanced is all off lead.
The picture above was taken on day 2 of our rally competition. All 5 dogs are Canine Hope dogs, but not all the people in the picture are dog trainers. 1 of them is an 11 year old (my daughter), 2 of them are teenagers (15 and 13), 1 of them is a self trainer (she worked with the org to raise a puppy for her son), and 1 of them is an official trainer for the org, raising a fully trained DAD for a family. More »
This past Memorial Day weekend we attended our first AKC rally competition. We were there with several other families, trainers, and dogs in the Canine Hope for Diabetics program (more on why I think this is important later). As you can tell from the pictures above, these dogs, trainers, and families (including my 11 year old and 2 teenagers) did a fantastic job. I got so much joy (and yes, a bunch of nervousness) out of watching my daughter compete with Raven this weekend. My heart was bursting with pride the whole time. More »
