A Dog’s Nose Knows (by guest Christy Hoss)
I have an amazing companion who has saved my life countless times. He is with me 24/7, has black fur, and a sensitive nose.
It’s hard for me to remember living without diabetes. My husband and I were married a little over three months when I was diagnosed at age 25. I was overwhelmed but followed the strict guidelines to stay healthy . . . at least for the first six months. I soon discovered, however, that I could eat anything and take an insulin injection to compensate for the sugary treats I indulged in. It became a prolonged slump of out-of-control diabetes. I no longer followed anyone’s guidelines, despite pleas from my doctor. Diabetes controlled me, and I let it.
This bad habit went on for years, with the exception of during each of my three pregnancies. But I always returned to indulging in sugar treats without regret. At one fateful doctor appointment, my endocrinologist pointed out a low blood sugar on my charts. “Did you feel this low?†she asked. When I answered no, she said I would have to get a continuous glucose monitor (CGM), which would mean another electronic device attached to my body along with my insulin pump. I did not like that idea, so the doctor had another solution. “You could get a diabetic alert dog.†She instigated the process immediately, and I left with the necessary paperwork.
Dog and Owner Training
A year later, I was accepted into the Dogs for Diabetics (D4D) program https://ourdogssavelives.org/programs/d4d/ and began training every weekend for ten weeks. Inspired by the thought of a service dog, I began to rethink my out-of-control diabetes and felt a good change in my health. The referral to D4D was a huge blessing, and I had just gotten started.
Training to get a diabetic alert dog involved learning to handle the dogs, rewarding their behavior, taking them on excursions to the city and practicing in public as well as listening to lectures and taking exams. Clients were allowed to take a dog home overnight. Once training was completed, clients were put on a waiting list to be matched with the perfect dog that fits their lifestyle and personality.
I continued to take better control of my diabetes. Clients could take a dog home for an entire weekend during the waiting period. I got to practice with several dogs but fell in love with one in particular. Aiden had been in the program for less than a month when I took him home. I was amazed that he alerted me five times that weekend – a skill that can take up to six months or longer to learn.
Three months later, D4D called to tell me they had the perfect dog for me. I defied all speed limits to get to the center to see whom I was placed with. The D4D team loves to surprise the client, and when Aiden bounded into my arms, I was over the moon delighted that he would be mine.
Aiden is an affectionate dog who loves to give sloppy kisses. We settled in together, and he’d go with me when I went to work as a substitute teacher while pursuing my writing career. He’d smell my blood sugar dropping and let me know with his relentless alerting. I could tell he loved his job and was an expert at it.
A Great Blessing
I never dreamed I’d need a service dog until I was on a trip with my sister. My doubts were wiped away. It was the middle of the night in our hotel room. I was on the bathroom floor, my head spinning from low blood sugar. I couldn’t move. My blood sugar was at 50 and dropping rapidly. Aiden jumped on my sleeping sister, woke her up, and she was able to help me. He had not been trained to do this, but his dog instinct and intelligence kicked in, making a decision that saved my life. Since then, he has saved me hundreds of times from an emergency situation in the six years we’ve been together.
Having Aiden as a diabetic-alert dog has been one of the greatest blessings in my life. Getting involved with the D4D program sent me on a path to good health that continues to this day. Diabetes no longer controls me. I don’t like the word “diabetes†because it sounds like a death sentence. Since I have to live with it every day, I prefer to call it “live-abetes.â€
Aiden has helped me live with diabetes in a healthier way. He lets me know 20-30 minutes before electronic devices that my blood sugar is dropping. His uncanny nose is on duty no matter what, and I trust him with my life. A dog’s nose knows.
Check out Aiden’s service dog blog and sign up to get a dog’s point of view and stay in touch https://www.christyhoss.com/new-friends-and-interesting-creatures/.
Other links for Christy:
https://christyhoss.us4.list-manage.com/subscribe/post?u=446cd882cd00c28ee773eb14d&id=88196cc472 (newsletter)
https://www.facebook.com/christyhossauthor
https://www.instagram.com/christyhossauthor/
Christy caught the writing bug in second grade after winning a prize for a five-page story about her dog, Noodles. Mrs. Olson told her she was destined to be a writer and that dream never left her thoughts. After teaching elementary school for fifteen years, Christy fulfilled her childhood dream with her debut novel, The Rubber Band. She substitute-teaches to support her writing career, deriving writing inspiration from the students and situations she encounters.
Her diabetic alert dog, Aiden, will appear in The Rubber Band Snaps, the fourth book in the series. Christy lives by this equation: Living + diabetes = LIVE-abetes.
Christy is a freelance editor and writes children’s Bible stories for Focus on the Family ClubHouse magazine and has written articles for Guideposts. She is a featured speaker for conferences, retreats and special events. Christy lives in eastern Tennessee with husband Kevin, the love of her life. They have three grown children.
Christy is the author of The Rubber Band, a middle grade novel series and My Question for Jesus, a picture book.
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I’m not going to comment on sweets and diabetes, as I’d be the “pot calling the kettle”, but can’t imagine what it must be like to not be able to tell when you’re high or low. For me, I can tell a high because of pressure behind my eyes and irritability. For lows, it’s sweats, nervousness, and meekness. I’ve been as low as 24, waking up in a puddle, but with the CGM , I’m alerted well before either highs or lows can do damage. With a 6.9-7.3 A1C range, I’m pretty happy. Of course, that’s dependent upon the temptation of those darned Klondike bars. 🙂 So enjoyed this post. We all need a Helper, don’t we?
24!!! God’s gracious hand kept you alive well below a critical level! Yes, oh yes, we always need a Helper. I am glad to hear your sugar issues are now under control. I hear ya about those darn Klondike bars. That’s Parky’s nemesis, too.
Diabetes is different for everyone. The doctors try to put us in a box, but it really is an individual disease and we all handle it according to our needs. I’m glad you are okay. The lowest I have been was 33 and I understand feeling like a puddle! Aiden truly is my helper from God. I am blessed to have him as modern technology is not a fast as he is. I also like Klondike bars- they do have a delicious sugar free one and I don’t usually like sugar free products. Thank you for your comment and have a blessed day.
I am amazed at the great ability God has given to dogs. To smell the difference in blood sugar is more than I can fathom. Diabetes is such a dangerous disease, and the discipline it takes to eat properly, and to exercise, is so important, that if we don’t it won’t take long for this disease to flair up and take a man/woman down. Bless you for this good information. Take care of yourself, even as you encourage us all to that also.
It IS indeed uncanny how a dog’s nose can know such things. Thanks for reading and commenting.
I am happy to be helpful and encourage others to be healthy, especially when it comes to diabetes. God bless you too!
A young woman at our church had a diabetes dog who could not only spot when her blood sugar was dropping but when she was about to seizure. Amazing! So glad you have Aiden! It was good to meet you at the conference!
I often learn something new through my guest bloggers. This would count as one of those times! I was familiar with “cancer” dogs but not diabetes dogs. I appreciated Christy serving as a guest and look forward to you as well. Thanks for commenting.
I’m the sister Christy wrote about… and yes, it was the middle of the night and I awoke to a huge black dog (aka Aiden!) jumping on top of me. Right away I yelled for Christy to see if she was ok, finding her instead sitting on the bathroom floor. I rushed downstairs in the hotel to get juice etc. I knew Aiden was trained for these occasions but truly witnessed it firsthand. I’m so proud of my sister, the author!!
Thanks for your comment, Cindy. I appreciate Christy being my guest. I love having different experiences and blessings from others to share with my readers. I hope you will subscribe to my blog for more delightful stories.
Aiden truly is a blessing that I count every day. It was good to meet you at the conference too. I hope to return next March as I really enjoyed it. It’s a beautiful location with God’s beautiful people. Have a blessed day!
Your post not only revealed a wonderful blessing but helped to educate me and others about diabetes and how it can be combatted. Thank you for a wonderful blog.