Getting Your Own DAD

This may be long and drawn out but I have some thoughts that I want to share about getting a DAD. These thoughts come from being a dog trainer, being a diabetic, being a social worker, and just general thoughts. They may be right, they may be wrong, but they are thoughts to put out and let folks sit with. They are not directed at anyone.......just plain old thoughts coming from where I sit at this moment.
First off, If you are wanting a DAD as an end all....in other words you think that a DAD will solve all your problems with night time issues YOU SHOULD NOT GET A DOG. A dog is a tool in the arsenal bag against this crappy disease! Dogs have LOTS and LOTS of needs, they are living , feeling beings. They do not interpret emotion as we do (at least we dont think so at this time) but they do feel and think!
If you are someone who tends to buy their way through life.....A DAD is not for you. Somethings in this world have to be earned through hard work, sweat, and effort. Some things we learn and earn through TRIAL and EFFORT. We make mistakes, but we pick back up and TRY AGAIN!
As someone who has trained ALOT of dogs and had MANY MANY satisfied people, I will tell you this....there is NO CORRECT way to train a dog. YOU DO WHAT EVER WORKS FOR THAT particular dog. Dogs are each uniquely different...just like kids. Some learn easier than others.....but you find how that dog learns and you have something. I do not nor will ever pretend that I know everything about dog training.....I can only share from my experience. I do not care how many letters are after someone's name they still are imparting the same knowledge that I am.......it is from their experience. Their experience is different from mine but it is still only experience! Bluntly honest, it is far easier to live with a dog that is a little on the duller side than it is to live with a smart dog. A smart dog will get into ALOT more trouble.
On the subject of dogs.....I can give anyone a well trained dog.......but IF YOU DO NOT KNOW HOW TO COMMUNICATE WITH THAT DOG, AND IF YOU DONT BUILD A TEAM with that dog,......he is going to be a dog with HUGE problems in a hurry. The dog was born a dog and will always remain a dog. I tread lightly on this because THERE ARE VERY BAD PEOPLE IN THIS WORLD who want to turn a profit on the desperation of another....they sell dogs that have VERY MINIMAL training if at all.....and they want to profit at your expense!! They prey on your hope, your desperation, your ignorance about animals. Now that being said......a good dog that you learn to work, is worth its weight in gold...but folks it is still a dog. A DARN GOOD ONE, often referred to as an angel on 4 legs.
This can present problems with children. DIabetes does everything it can to rob our lives....I am not a parent so I speak gingerly on this. How a parent teaches a child to live in life....is going to be reflected in the relationship with the dog. If you teach your child that EVERYTHING in life can be bought, then A DAD is not for you. If you think that a dog should be some sort of soldier that you can order to alert, or that the dog is going to just alert because YOU PAID for it, you might be in for a rude awaking. A dog can be taught scent, a dog can be taught to que you, it can be taught obedience....but just like raising a child if there is NO CONSISTENCY, IF YOU DO NOT TEND to the relationship the dog will quickly revert back to being a dog and figure if that is ALL you are going to put into it why should he try. It is like raising a garden...you dont just throw the plants in the ground and walk away. You HAVE TO TEND TO THE RELATIONSHIP.
DADs are ALOT of work. I mean ALOT!!!!!! On top of a chronic disease like diabetes, it can seem to much. As a diabetic living ALONE with several dogs...it can be just about wear me out sometimes. It doesn't matter if I am high and blowing ketones,needing to go to ER.....I have to care for my dogs. Sometimes with a young pup in the home......I drop low and they pick that MOMENT to want to go potty. THEY HAVE NEEDS THAT HAVE TO BE MET! Sometimes their needs can wait for a bit and sometimes not.....ARE YOU READY AND OKAY TO CLEAN UP THE MESS if you make them wait??????????? It isnt the dogs fault if you are not "present" enough to be paying attention.
Night time alerts are a PRIZED thing with a DAD. BUT THEY TAKE LOTS AND LOTS of EFFORT. Even if I dog was alerting at night for the trainer.....they may not alert for you and your family. WHY??????? Their can be 1000's of reasons but ARE YOU GOING TO STICK WITH IT TO FIGURE IT OUT? Problems always happen.....ARE YOU TENACIOUS enough to stick with it????? In spite of having to deal with the diabetes? Diabetes HAS to come first...NO OTHER CHOICE!
But so much about life is about CHOICES......A living breathing creature adds one more thing that you have to deal with. ARE YOU READY FOR THAT??????
I am not trying to turn you off to a DAD.....I am trying to help you make good choices! If you are they kind of person who gets down and dirty with life. If you dont let life keep you down for long....IF YOU ARE THE KIND OF PERSON WHO GETS KNOCKED DOWN....and you stand up and say "is that the best you can do", if you believe with every part of your being that PERSONAL RESPONSIBILITY ON EVERY LEVEL IS A MUST....yes it is okay to recieve help but you arent one to take it easily...then a DAD is for you.
But if any of that doesnt ring true to you, IF YOU ARE PRAYING THAT THIS IS THE ANSWER to make everything all better, if a dog is somehow going to "save you or your child" but that they should come that way and stay that way with no work or effort on your part, if you go to numerous trainers and they each tell you what the last trainer did wrong, but dont address your role in it, then guess what A DAD is not for you.
Getting a DAD is like adopting a child from a foreign county. There is paperwork, there are language barriers, the are cultural boundaries, the list goes on and on!!! By most peoples standards I am an EXCELLENT dog trainer...but even for me it gets hard sometimes. Sometimes I am ready to give ALL my dogs away and just crawl in a little box that doesn't involve animals, people, or diabetes! Sometimes when the diabetes is bad i get angry for NO REASON ( except BG). Sometimes I can hardly crawl out of bed.....but you know what I HAVE TO.....I NEED TO...I WANT TO!!!!! I love my dogs, I am so grateful for what they do for me, that for me in the END....it will be the dogs that get me out of the funk and back on track with life and diabetes. I am still in the honeymoon phase of T1.....so my numbers are ALL over the map....in the last month my readings have been from 12 to HI on the meter. I "GET" life with diabetes is HARD. I "GET" that it seems like it is almost IMPOSSIBLE... I GET IT. I get that nothing good in life is easy.....but these dogs are so amazing when the team is working right. They seem like an angel at times....they seem to hold our life but I also get that THEY ARE STILL DOGS!
Please make sure that before you sign away for a dog, or to train a dog on your own, that YOU ARE READY FOR THIS KIND OF RELATIONSHIP. It is heart breaking to me as a social worker to see people pin hopes on one thing and not try...(you know if you do you can always fall back on it "IT IS SOMEONES ELSES FAULT) it is heartbreaking to me as a dog lover and trainer to see a wonderful dog that you put HOURS AND HOURS of blood sweat tears and sleep deprivation into being called all sorts of names and devalued because "THE STUPID DOG WONT DO ITS JOB" What is even worse....it BREAKS MY HEART that our society has become such that is everyone elses fault, and that we can buy whatever at a moments notice and we are promised it will be fixed.
OK I am done now at least for the moment LOL I just needed to say this! I hope it helps....I hope that it makes YOU SERIOUSLY EVALUTE YOU AND YOUR CHILDS needs. I hope it makes you "think outside of the box" about training. I hope that you get exactly what you need want and deserve! But know it always comes with a price that we have to decide whether we are willing to pay for with blood sweat and tears!
KC
PS I am going to go out on a liimb and say what makes a successful DAD team is COMMITMENT, knowledge, and time!

I’m watching you!

 

This is what he does best.  I hear all the time “that dog doesn’t take his eyes off of you!”

One way to avoid issues is to be on the alert…to watch!   When we watch and listen we often get some “early warning signs”.If the weather is bad there can be severe weather warnings, the state often puts up signs to warn us that “this is an area that wildlife cross”. or that “there is a wreck ahead”.  What do we do with these warnings?  Well if we are smart we heed them!  We prepare!

I stumbled on this verse the other day and it made me think of Diabetic Alert Dogs.  Ephesians 6:18 (New International Version)¹⁸And pray in the Spirit on all occasions with all kinds of prayers and requests. With this in mind, be alert and always keep on praying for all the saints.

I am not the “preachy” type.  It isn’t who I am.  In fact it usually burns me when people shove religion at me.  I am an independent cuss but this whole diabetes thing has me thinking.  It has application for where I currently am, my DADs included.  Bravo and Radar watch me, they alert me to danger.  Bravo consistently alerts between 90 to 100 for slow drops and at 120 to 130 for fast drops.  He alerts to highs around 250 to 300.(yes I KNOW that is to high but for me that is where it set for now)  There day I raised and dropped over 1200 points in 4 hours. My BG had a mind of its own.  It scared the crap out me! Yet through it all Bravo, Radar, and Puzzle were with me.  I kept doing what I was suppose to do but the BG was on a rampage!  A friend came over and I sent Puzzle with her just because I wasn’t in any shape to deal with3 dogs.  Puzzle didn’t really want to go.  B, Radar, and me sat in the chair and rode it all out.  I can not imagine what their noses were telling them.  Neither took their eyes off of me it was as if they were attached to me.

When I say things like this it drives some people crazy……but for me these DADS are an answer to a prayer.  They go with you in a way that no medical person can, that no friend, no family member can….I am not explaining it well but they ARE AN ANSWER TO A PRAYER.  They watch and alert when I can’t.

So Bravo, Radar, Puzzle, Epie, and ALL the other alert dogs out……………WATCH AWAY!  Thank God, that you all have been an answer to a prayer!

Why I do what I do.

 

This image is sooooo powerful.  It kinda says it all.  Diabetes is a nasty disease.  It is a disease where by you can do EVERYTHING you are told to do and it still runs amock in your body.  It messes with you physically, mentally, emotionally, and spiritually.  If you happen to be a control freak you will go absolutely nuts trying to control it.  If you are like me who has always been one of those people who could do anything if they set their mind to it…..diabetes dont play by those rules.

The little girl who is holding the sign has diabetes and has for a long time.  I doubt that she remembers life before diabetes but she has something very incredible.  She a wonderful faith, a wonderful family, a wonderful support system, and she has the attitude of “Diabetes will not win over me!”  Her family applied for a DAD I was honored to go do a home visit.

Bravo alerted not only on me during the visit but he alerted to her as well.  Bravo demonstrated to them what a DAD is and some of what they can do.  He showed them the good and he showed them some bad.  Bravo is not perfect….I know that deflates some of your thoughts….but he really wanted to go get that wounded duck in the park.  Cross trained dogs have their own issues! LOL  But what Bravo did was share who he was in his entirety!  He didn’t hold back.

Maybe that is one of the many lessons a DAD brings to us….don’t hold back.  Live each day to its fullest.  Live your faith! Live your love! Live your knowledge.  Live it with your friends!

I LOVE THIS DOG!!!!!!!!

 

 

Okay so as per my last post you can tell I have been a little bit….well PISSY. I have a saying that it is better to be pissed off than pissed on. Well it seems that Puzzle also agrees with me to a point.

This morning I could not get going. I just couldn’t get awake…I could hear Puzzle howling her issue but I just couldn’t get awake enough to act. Finally I get moving and go to her kennel to find that I am to late (only the 2^nd accident in her short life). The thing of it is…it appears that she tried to make it go out side of her kennel. It is a guess but it appears that she backed up to the kennel door and tried to pee through the door. How did I make this out ….well my BG meter was laying outside of her kennel in front of the kennel door and it was WET. Not just damp but WET and there was yellow water all around the case.

Hmmmmm it appears that Puzzle says “Let’s pee on all things diabetic to!” I LOVE THIS PUP! She may be to smart for her own good!

Some Cheese With that Whine!

Before I start let me say this….THIS IS NOT DIRECTED AT ANYONE IN PARTICULAR…it is simply words!  I am spouting off because I am just a little angry!

I am PISSED OFF AT DIABETES and worse yet DIABETES IS PISSED OFF AT ME. Yes I know diseases can’t show emotion but some time it sure seems like they can and diabetes is one of them.

Diabetes is a nasty disease. It affects each person slightly differently and it manifests slightly differently in each person. They can call it Type 1, Type 2, auto immune, gestational, LADA, MODY, etc and each person who has been given a label wears that TYPE like a badge. It is a brand…a brand that we are different that we are somehow broken and un-whole. Sometimes it feels like we are also unworthy of even wearing that badge. Like for petes sake: CANT YOU EVEN DO DIABETES RIGHT????

I am just getting lab results back….my A1C was 8.3. My cholesterol was high and my thyroid a tad on the low side. Plus I gained back the weight that I lost. I am pissed because the only thing that has changed is the amount of insulin that I am taking. I am MORE ACTIVE and eating close to the same that I was when I lost the weight…so what the h#(* is going on? In May I was taking .025 units of insulin per hour of U50 (half strength of regular) insulin. In September…just this am I upped my dose to .850 units per hour of regular insulin PLUS I GET AN A1C on 8.3. WTF!

Add that into the fact I am REALLY SICK AND TIRED OF THE BLAME GAME! Well it is YOUR FAULT that you have diabetes!!! You need to lose weight, You need to exercise more, you can’t do that, you should do this, WELL OBVIOUSLY YOU ARE DOING SOMETHING WRONG OR YOUR NUMBERS WOULD COME DOWN! Read any diabetic website and you will see the blame game…..YOU EAT TO MANY CARBS….YOU NEED TO USE THIS SUPPLIMENT…YOU NEED TO TRY THIS MEDICINE….WELL THIS PRODUCT WILL HELP CURE MORNING RESISTANCE.

EVERY DAY I pray for a cure…..I don’t see that happening. It actually wouldn’t surprise me if there isn’t already a cure that we are not hearing about . Diabetes is a TRILLION DOLLAR INDUSTRY…..those making that kind of money don’t want a cure! Are you kidding me…..one test strip is one dollar…..in my case they are making between 10 and 15 bucks a day just to check my glucose levels. The needles, insulin, pills, sensors, pumps tubing, glucagons, glucose tabs or solutions…oh wait don’t forget the lil thingy that cuts they end off of needles so you don’t accidentally jab yourself, or how about carrying cases for all the junk you got to carry….this list could go on and on.

OK so it is my fault and they are going to bankrupt me for being so weak and helpless……no kidding a casket at Costco is $950….YOU DO THE MATH which is cheapest! No I am not going there but don’t think I don’t ponder it.

Then lets talk about what diabetes can do to your body in the long term……skin rashes, heart problems, strokes, eye problems, just to mention a few…oh gee we have that to look forward to as well. WELL IF YOU TAKE CONTROL of your disease then those problems MIGHT NOT HAPPEN. So gee I get to be responsible for all of that to….

I am not a saint but I can sure as hell tell you I haven’t done anything in my life that would CAUSE this disease. This disease I WAS BORN WITH IT and while I can do a lot to take action against it and slow down its progression it is still going to be there! I have done EVERYTHING they have told me to do and more. I have read everything I can get my hands on and applied it. I have thought outside of the box and tried new and unusual and yet for this moment the diabetes seems to have won this round of the battle. There will be another round and I am sure that sometimes it is going to win and sometimes I will win but you know what the END is going to be the same. Maybe sooner…maybe later…but in the end it is still the same.

I realize this is pretty negative but I am tired and frustrated. I want to lash out at folks who don’t even quite get the words that they spew out of their mouth as easily as they fart. I won’t but I want to!!! What I do get is the CRAP HAPPENS IN THIS WORLD….IT IS WHAT IT IS AND IT WILL BE WHAT IT IS. At some point you just step back and say I AM DOING THE BEST I KNOW HOW AND SCREW YOU IF IT IT ISNT UP TO YOUR STANDARDS!

So would you like some cheese with my whine????????

Bravo In the News

 

Bravo was recently wrote up in a local newspaper called the Deseret News.  A wonderful lady by the name of Cathy Free came to my house and interviewed me.  She even got to see a real time alert.  I thought Bravo was alerting to Kim as she is very often low….but no he was alerting to me. 

Here is the link to the article… http://www.deseretnews.com/article/700063994/Bravos-sensitive-sniffer-is-life-saver.html

Be sure to read Vickie Trainers comment underneath the article. 

Puzzle

This is the newest addition to my house.  Puzzle is past cute….she is adorable and smart! I have raised ALOT of puppies in the last 15 years and she might just be the best puppy I have had. 
I took possession of Puzzle at 6 weeks.  Two of the pups stood out to me when i evaluated the litter.  Well actually they all did but looking at a dog for me and looking at a dog that will go to someone else is 2 different things.  I like independent, free spirited, and VERY energetic…….but most people don't need, want, nor can handle that.  Puzzle and her sister both really showed an attraction to diabetic scent.  Her sister was just more independent and wanted to do things her own way, while Puzzle was into being with me.   She followed me everywhere.   When I threw the wing she would go get and come back to me.  When I placed the diabetic scent on the path and threw the wing over the top…she tore after it and hit the diabetic scent and immediately stopped and went “wow…what is that”.  Then she picked the scent tube up and came back to me.  She rode quietly in her crate for 2 hours before she told us that she needed to go out.
Puzzle was in my home for 2 weeks before she had an accident in the house.  She is very clean and meticulous.  That is her dad coming out in her.  The accident was more my fault than hers…..I just could not up enough to get her outside.
For the first 4 days of her life, we had lots and lots of snuggle time, we worked on sit, scent, place, and here. She would tuck her lil bum and come to a perfect sit.  She would lay down and relax on place.  I would take my scent containers and place in the middle of the floor as soon as her lil nose would hit the scent we would have a party.  I would get all excited and give her a special treat for the “find”’  Here is a short clip of Puzzle on 3rd day of her being with me doing “scent work”.

The very next day after I had worked her on scent, worked the other dogs on obedience, fed, and aired dogs I was sitting in my chair snuggling with Puzzle.  She was in the crook of my arm fast asleep.  She suddenly awoke and looked up at me.  She stood up and crawled up my chest and got on my shoulder and started sniffing and digging at my ear.  It wasnt like a puppy playing with your ear…this was more a dog on a mission.  I pulled her back down and she crawled right back up and repeated it.  About that rtime Bravo sits up, walks over puts his head in my lap and gives me THE STARE. Radar jumps up on the back of my chair and starts swatting my head.  Oh gee….do you think I need to test.  I was 62.  At 6 weeks…this lil dog alerted.  It made the hair stand up on the back of my neck!
A few days later a friend who is diabetic and I were driving somewhere with the puppy in back seat in her crate.  Puppy was thoroughly aired and was expected to sleep for our trip.  We had gone maybe 10 miles when puppy starts whining.  She gets louder and louder.  I pull over to air her…nothing.  Back in the crate still she complained about something but we didnt know what.  Finally I suggested we test our BG…..sure enough Kim was low.  She treated…puppy went to sleep.
Two nights ago, I did the whole cascading low crap.  Once again the thing that got me up was Radar biting the soft flesh on the back on my arms…but Bravo was pawing n whining and Puzzle was HOWLING in her crate.  Epie was in her crate running circles.  According to my meter I was 12 (BG number not age!)
She is very young and the jury is still out as to who and what she will become….but I sure am liking what I am seeing so far!
Here are a few more pictures of her… Puzzle and Cheveyo (Dad) Puzzle
Puzzle n Bravo Puzzle n Radar