So now you say that you want to get a diabetic alert dog. That is a good thing, right? Well, let’s see.
I assume that up to this point in time you have been managing your diabetes using conventional methods, (meters, pumps, injections, diet, continuous glucose monitors), whatever means your doctor has recommended. You have been in complete control of any and all methods you have used. You have determined when you will test according to your own schedule or the way you feel.
You have gone wherever you wanted to go without having to consider whether you remembered to dress your dog or not. You have had both hands free to deal with whatever it is you need for the trip. You have even been able to at least at times enter a room with very little notice. You have even been able to sleep each night in your own room without making sure that your life saver is next to you. (That’s your DAD)
Now you want a diabetic alert dog. Are you sure you know what you are getting into? If you have ever owned a dog before, you have a good idea what it is like to take care of a pet. If that pet was obedience trained and you maintained that training, then you are ahead of the game, because maintaining good obedience is one of the most important things you can do with a diabetic alert dog.
All animals, including us humans need to have a few basic needs met in order for them to function. I know, that is a no brainer, but humor me anyway.
Those basic needs include food, water and shelter. That will keep the body functioning, but what about the other basic needs of all living, breathing, emotional beings? The need for affiliation is one of those needs, and just like us humans, a dog does much better emotionally, when he travels in a pack. That pack for a diabetic alert dog is the person or family that has invited him/her into their home.
Then we have the need for affection. I like this one a lot. I like to hug my husband and children and friends and family. I like to tell them I love them, and compliment them on a job well done. I like being able to work through our problems and know that on the other side of any situation we will all still love each other.
I think dogs are a lot like us in this area as well. They like to be petted and encouraged to do a good job. They want to please us and know that they have. They like to know that they are welcome in our home. They don’t just like all of this, they need it. They need it in order to work the way you want them to.
Since a dog is not a robot, and is indeed a living, breathing, emotional being, they also need exercise in order to stay fit and to work off some of their built up energy. By the way, exercise is good for us too. A walk around the block, a game of fetch, a new trick to perform, these are all good ways to not only keep the body fit but the mind as well.
We all have the need for shelter, and the more comfortable that shelter the better, wouldn’t you agree? Shelter is more than a place to stay warm and dry, it can also be a place to curl up on a soft cushion and take a nap. Or it can be a place of your own where you know that nobody is going to bother you. No matter what you use your shelter for it should be a place where you feel safe. Our dogs need this comfort as well.
The fact that he is an alert dog will mean that you will be testing more often, and some of those times you will question whether he knows what he is “talking” about, and you will have to test again in 15 or 20 minutes to be sure. You will even be interrupted during times that you are deeply involved in a conversation or thought or maybe even a project at work or school. You will no longer be in complete control of when and where you will test yourself.
You will no longer be able to just get up and go wherever you want without also getting your DAD ready and taking him with you. Nor will you be a solitary individual instead you will be a team, and that team will be inseparable.
The purpose of this discussion is simply to give you some food for thought. A DAD is so very different from having a pet dog. You will need to pour your life into this animal. Not only will you need to feed and water him, and make sure that he stays healthy, and give him some attention each day. You will also need to take this dog everywhere you go, and give him as much of your attention as you would a young child. Are you ready for this, 24/7 every day of the year?
Sure we know that a DAD can potentially save your life some day, but are you willing to change your life for him?
