Friday, March 28, 2014

Diabetic Alert Dogs - for real?

Several years ago I began driving to Columbia, South Carolina, from Woodstock. When I got to Indianapolis, I began thinking constantly of a family in Richmond, Va., where I had lived from 1993-1996 - so much so that I called them. I reached the mom, and she sounded stressed to the max. When I asked what was going on, she told me that her husband and she had been virtually living at the hospital for a week, while their 9-year-old daughter was receiving intensive treatment for Type 1 Diabetes.

They had three other children at home, and I asked if I could help. My offer was taken up quickly, and I went east from Indianapolis, instead of southeast to Columbia. For a few days, I was the house-helper and watched the other children continue with their own home-schooling and household chores.

On the day before the mom, dad and young daughter returned home from the hospital, I offered to take their laundry to the laundromat because, as chance would have it, the washer had quit and was awaiting the husband's expertise to repair it. My VW bug was so full of laundry that there was barely room for me.

The family has had a diabetic alert dog now for several years. No, the dog doesn't have diabetes! Its keen sense of smell can detect rises and falls in the daughter's blood-sugar levels, and the dog "alerts" the child and the parents, so that immediate attention can be given. The dog goes everywhere with the child. I mean, everywhere.

When they visited me in Woodstock, we went to the Frank Lloyd Wright House in Oak Park, the Art Institute, and Lou Malnati's in Lakewood. When the dog is wearing his service vest, he is allowed everywhere - by law.

A new book about diabetic service dogs was published in February. The title is Lifesaving Labradors: Stories from Families with Diabetic Alert Dogs. To read about the book on Amazon.com, just click on the link, or go directly to Amazon. The book is available in paperback and Kindle versions. Net proceeds of the book, after the publisher is paid, will go toward training more diabetic alert dogs.

If you have diabetes, you'll want to read this book. If you know someone with diabetes, consider giving them a copy of the book.

7 comments:

Big Daddy said...

Gus, what a nice thing to do for that family. Kudos to you. And thanks for the info about the dog. My wife is diabetic and a dog like this one would comfort me when I'm away from home. There have been several times I've returned home and found my wife in a diabetic "coma".

Gus said...

Big Daddy, I'll get the name of the diabetic alert dog training organization and post it. There are several. At least, one should definitely be avoided and may have been shut down by its state's oversight agency.

Gus said...

Big Daddy, here is information from a trusted friend and one who contributed a chapter to the book Lifesaving Labradors.

"The ONLY reputable group I know, and the ONLY one I would recommend is Wild Rose Kennels - ask for Rachel Thornton. http://uklabs.com/alert_dogs.php

"It is so easy to get sucked into a sham - it is dangerous and costly.
If they cannot help with the dog (waiting lists), they will know of other trainers who meet their criteria who can.

"... dogs are not for everyone and take time to train. An in between option if she uses a pump is the new generation of pumps with a built in CGM that will turn off the pump and stop delivering insulin for up to 2 hours."

Big Daddy said...

Thanks Gus. WE appreciate it.

Gus said...

Big Daddy, you're welcome. I don't have personal experience with diabetes, but my friend who furnished this information does - at least with juvenile Type 1 diabetes. And she knows a LOT about the alert dogs (and has one).

Gus said...

Big Daddy, you're welcome. I don't have personal experience with diabetes, but my friend who furnished this information does - at least with juvenile Type 1 diabetes. And she knows a LOT about the alert dogs (and has one).

Big Daddy said...

Gus, my wife has had Type 1 diabetes for over fiftyone years. She got it when she was nine. Most of the time she is fine as she watches what she eats and works out everyday. But there have been times when I have come home very late and found her on the floor flopping around like a fish out of water. A DAD would help prevent that and ease my mind when I'm away. Thanks again.