Diabetic Alert Dog?

Coping & Support
1

Hi all. I am a senior in college who has had Diabetes for 5 years now. I was first diagnosed as a type 2. However, according to my doctor, I am in what she is calling a “honeymoon phase,” or, I’m transitioning to a type 1 - my pancreas is slowing its production of insulin and will probably stop soon. Because of this and many other reasons, I’m looking into getting a Diabetic Alert Dog for myself.

However, I live in an on-campus apartment and I don’t have a dog I could train. If I did, my school would be uncomfortable with me having a dog that is in training versus already trained because of possible classroom interruptions and more. So I feel that my only option is to go through an organization, and as I haven’t yet been on insulin for a year, I’m looking at about a 3 year wait for any non-profit organization. The for-profits will cost about $15,000, which as a college student, I obviously don’t have.

I’m working my butt off with various fundraising methods including a you caring account, a T-shirt fundraiser, and several fundraisers in the planning stage, as well as handing out flyers and placing change jars wherever I can.

Does anyone have any other ideas on how I can raise money and/or how else I can go about getting a dog?

2

There is a huge backlog of people who request alert dogs, and obviously they have to prioritize based on need. There are also several people on the internet that advertise “diabetic service dogs”, but beware because they are not all genuine, and because so many people take advantage, there is increasing regulation on this.

Are you unable to feel low BG coming on? To the point that you have fallen unconscious from low BG without feeling it? That would be the only need for an alert dog. If so, once you are eventually in a place that will accept pets, you can train a dog yourself to alert you at home. Hound breeds such as dachshunds and basset hounds have excellent sniffers that make them naturals for this, and there are websites like this one to help you train on your own. The downside to that is that you cannot take the dog in public establishments as a service dog, but at least you would be safe at home.

http://diabeticalertdoguniversity.com/how-to-train-your-own-diabetic-alert-dog-training-program/foundation-of-diabetic-alert-dog-training/