Dogs for Diabetics
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Dogs for Diabetics provides trained assistance dogs to alert people with type 1 diabetes. Dogs for Diabetics dogs are trained to identify and act upon the subtle scent changes that hypoglycemia (low blood glucose) creates in body chemistry.
[edit] History
Dogs For Diabetics, Inc., began in 2000 when its founder began researching the possibility of training dogs to detect type 1 diabetes–related hypoglycemia and physically alert the diabetic to the impending hypoglycemia. In October 2003, a dog named Armstrong was obtained from Guide Dogs for the Blind, and the scent training and alert training was started. Armstrong enjoyed his new "career" and was soon alerting on diabetes-related hypoglycemia.
Today, dogs are obtained primarily from Guide Dogs for the Blind in San Rafael, California and retrained for diabetic alert work. Dogs for Diabetics has also obtained a dog from Genesis Service Dogs of Boise, Idaho, and from Tony LaRussa's Animal Rescue Foundation in Walnut Creek, California.
Recently, from mid-2007-early 2008, the International Order of the Rainbow for Girls California jurdistiction helped this organization.
[edit] References
http://www.dogs4diabetics.com/aboutus/aboutus.html - Information about programs and services provided by Dogs for Diabetics