[nagdu] Diabetic alert dogs and how alert dogs are preventing a need for a guide dog!
d m gina
dmgina at samobile.net
Thu Nov 8 20:38:21 UTC 2012
Hi there,
I would like to write you off list on behalf of this topic, sense I
think I am around my five for the day.
My address is
dmgina at samobile.net
Thanks,
Original message:
> Exactly Cindy.
> I also wonder if Joe Blow with his diabetes alert dog could claim a
> harrassment or some kind of discrimination suit if he was persistently
> asked questions by another patron or staff member.
> Anybody have an answer to this?
> -----Original Message-----
> From: nagdu [mailto:nagdu-bounces at nfbnet.org] On Behalf Of Cindy Ray
> Sent: Thursday, November 08, 2012 11:32 AM
> To: NAGDU Mailing List, the National Association of Guide Dog Users
> Subject: Re: [nagdu] Diabetic alert dogs and how alert dogs are
> preventing a need for a guide dog!
> No, I wasn't talking about hurting feelings. I was just saying that if
> Joe Blow came in with his dog and said he was a diabetes alert dog, you
> would have to accept it unless it behaved in ways that were not
> indicative of a well trained dog. You can't ask for an ID because even
> if they could show you one ... Not sure what you are so upset about. I
> just don't see any way that you could find out except that if they wear
> something that marks them and someone who could see was there, they
> might tell you. And if a dog isn't being well behaved and is causing
> trouble, it can be asked to leave a public place whether it is a guide
> or diabetes alert dog or what, yes?
> CL
> Sent from my iPhone
> On Nov 8, 2012, at 10:21 AM, d m gina <dmgina at samobile.net> wrote:
>> Ok if I am asking a question that would hurt someones feelings because
>> I asked, then why do I need to worry about other dogs not being service dogs.
>> Just let the public bring in all of their dogs and I don't have to ask
>> anything.
>> That is what is wrong with our world today don't ask, you will upset
>> the apple cart.
>> We sure have two different standards here.
>> One hand we want to know that we are ok, but we can't ask any questions
>> on what is happening when a baarking dog comes into play, we might hurt
>> their feelings.
>> Gee, what a world.
>> Original message:
>>> How would you know if any dog was a service dog. I think you mostly
>>> just have to go on faith, don't you? I am sure I have missed something
>>> here, but that is the same kind of problem we are asking people to
>>> face. We would just have to accept their word until it seemed
>>> otherwise, I think. Otherwise, don't you run the risk of alienating a
>>> legitimate dog handler or negating that person's rights?
>>> CL
>>> Sent from my iPhone
>>> On Nov 8, 2012, at 9:50 AM, d m gina <dmgina at samobile.net> wrote:
>>>> Hello,
>>>> Thanks for sharing, and yes even my guide lets me know if I am to low.
>>>> My question never got answered for me to be satisfied.
>>>> As a total, and this strange dog comes into play where the person says
>>>> it is a diabetic dog, nothing on the dog to indicate that the dog is a
>>>> service dog, just a person coming into the room with a chain collar on
>>>> dog claiming that it is a diabetic dog.
>>>> No coat of any kind no nothing.
>>>> So if a total was trying to make sure that we didn't have anyone just
>>>> bringing in their pet how would we know.
>>>> It is obvious we didn't know at this convention.
>>>> We as guide dog users are trying to make sure we can keep working our
>>>> dogs for as long as possible with out any more rules to the game.
>>>> Where I am not impressed that my neighbor can put a collar on his
>>>> shepherd and claim it is a service dog a diabetic dog.
>>>> I hope I made myself clear this time.
>>>> Now my neighbor isn't claiming this, just follow the thread of writing thanks,
>>>> Original message:
>>>>> Hi gang,
>>>>> I will only speak to diabetic alert dogs, since there seem to be some
>>>>> questions. There are numerous programs that train diabetic alert dogs
>>>>> and even owner-trainers. They range from the rather large and very
>>>>> well-established Dogs 4 Diabetics (d4d) in Concord, CA to smaller/newer
>>>>> programs to owner-trained dogs. d4d is an ADI member program. ADI is
>>>>> the equivalent of IGDF, so d4d is very highly regarded in general. Some
>>>>> of the smaller/newer programs do a better job than others, so those are
>>>>> buyer-beware. Really, though, diabetic alerting is largely a matter of
>>>>> fairly straightforward scent training...so it doesn't take that long
>>>>> and many competent people have decided to train their own dogs. That
>>>>> can be a just fine option, too. Almost everyone from d4d to
>>>>> owner-trainer uses fairly similar standards. The dogs are trained to
>>>>> alert their person when the person's blood glucose begins to drop too
>>>>> low (60-70, normal is at least 80). If the dog
>>>>> can tell the person who is at 65, the person should not be too
>>>>> incapacitated at that point to do the things they need to do to help
>>>>> themselves raise their blood glucose. This is especially critical when
>>>>> the diabetic (usually type 1 diabetic, btw, but not ALWAYS) is asleep.
>>>>> Diabetics are at serious risk of a phenomenon called "Dead in Bed".
>>>>> Their numbers get too low while they sleep and they slip into a coma
>>>>> and are dead or confused and unable to help themselves and can die even
>>>>> if "awake" in the morning...no sugar is reaching their brain and so
>>>>> they can't think straight to drink juice or swallow glucose tablets or
>>>>> whatever and that's it. Very sad and scary. The beauty here is that a
>>>>> human's sleep cycle is quite long...multiple hours. A dog's sleep
>>>>> cycle is FAR shorter...I want to say about 90 minutes or so. This
>>>>> means that the dog is mostly awake and can smell the low on their
>>>>> person and wake them up to tell them at many different points
>>>>> throughout the night. The dogs are generally taught to alert to the
>>>>> lows and not really the highs because the highs are SO easy to
>>>>> smell...even you or I can smell it, no problem. The ketones smell
>>>>> really sweet when someone is running high, so the diabetic's breath
>>>>> will reek! Dogs often will start to alert the highs once they get that
>>>>> their job is to tell their human when they're smelling funny, but dogs
>>>>> who are rewarded too often for alerting to high often start to only
>>>>> alert to high because it's so easy for them to smell. What we really
>>>>> NEED the dog alerting to is the lows, though, so can't let the dogs get
>>>>> lazy and stop smelling for the harder to catch lows!
>>>>> Long story short - there are very legitimate glucose level alerting
>>>>> dogs for diabetics. I have no idea if the St. Bernard was one - that's
>>>>> a whole different ball of wax that I won't touch - but at least now
>>>>> everyone knows more about the dogs for diabetics.
>>>>> Oh, I should mention since I think my email makes it sound like maybe
>>>>> these dogs only need to be home use - that is far from the case. The
>>>>> dogs will also do things like ride close enough to someone driving and
>>>>> be able to alert the person in case their sugar goes out of whack while
>>>>> they are driving. (I'm sure everyone can see how this is a useful
>>>>> service!) A dog may sit under a programmer's desk at work and alert
>>>>> them that they're low...big bonus for everyone since when sugar goes
>>>>> low, brain function declines and suddenly you've got a programmer
>>>>> probably making all kinds of errors. All sorts of things like that, so
>>>>> the dogs do need public access and protection just like guide dogs and
>>>>> other kinds of more commonly recognized service dogs.
>>>>> Cool to note is that d4d actually gets a number of their dogs from none
>>>>> other than the nearby GDB. It's a good career change. Often a dog
>>>>> that won't make the cut as a guide can make a great alert dog. I'm
>>>>> sure you all know how big the percentage is of guide dog handlers who
>>>>> need guides because of diabetes complications, so actually getting a
>>>>> well-trained glucose level alert dog into the hands of a young diabetic
>>>>> is a wonderful way to help them keep their numbers MUCH better
>>>>> controlled and postpone or even prevent that person from ever needing a
>>>>> Guide due to diabetes complications. I think this is great as long as
>>>>> it's done well, ethically, safely, etc!
>>>>> Dogs rock. It's people I sometimes wonder about. ;) j/k (sort of!)
>>>>> Dailyah Rudek
>>>>> The ProBoneO Program, Director
>>>>>> ________________________________
>>>>>> From: Julie J. <julielj at neb.rr.com>
>>>>>> To: "NAGDU Mailing List, the National Association of Guide Dog Users"
>>>>>> <nagdu at nfbnet.org>
>>>>>> Sent: Monday, November 5, 2012 4:21 AM
>>>>>> Subject: Re: [nagdu] In question please
>>>>>> Yes, there are dogs that can alert to changes in blood sugar levels.
>>>>>> There is even a program that trains this type of dog. I'm remembering
>>>>>> it's in the northwest, Washington or Oregon? Of course the dog
>>>>>> wouldn't have had to come from this or any program to be trained to
>>>>>> alert to the guy's medical condition.
>>>>> _______________________________________________
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>>>> --
>>>> --Dar
>>>> skype: dmgina23
>>>> FB: dmgina
>>>> www.twitter.com/dmgina
>>>> every saint has a past
>>>> every sinner has a future
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>> --
>> --Dar
>> skype: dmgina23
>> FB: dmgina
>> www.twitter.com/dmgina
>> every saint has a past
>> every sinner has a future
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--
--Dar
skype: dmgina23
FB: dmgina
www.twitter.com/dmgina
every saint has a past
every sinner has a future
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