Christmas Eve

I recently received this in the email from a friend of mine with the following …”disclaimer: my husband indicates that this image is not theologically correct.“ya think” Ha ha “

It is cute…It is funny….but here is where I am going to get weird… how really incorrect is this theologically?

I have been really really sick this week….because it is our busiest time at work I have been trying to push through it…well lets just say that didn’t work so well.  My BG is running between 200 and 500 and I have A LOT of insulin on board and well I am just a little goofy right now so bear with me.

From a pure religious point of view this could be taken as being very irreverent.  I don’t mean it to be that way at all.  Well I do think it might be a little irreverent to have the small shih tzu looking thing as baby Jesus……simply because they aren’t known for their nose work.  I guess it could happen that a shih tzu could become a Diabetic Alert Dog but I still think it would take A LOT of work.

But I do think this picture is somewhat theologically correct in that I truly do believe that service dogs…diabetic alert dogs in particular are GIFTS straight from Heaven to us morans here on earth that struggle to get the real meaning.  Think about it….what if God did send Bravo and Radar to me as a gift on loan to help save me from myself ( my body and sometimes bad choices)?????  I am not saying they are Christ but I am thinking they do have some Christ like tendencies.   They help me in good times and in bad.  They guide me to make better choices about treatment in that if I don’t they are going to be ever and always present and bugging me to be better at it. Hmmm am I digging a hole?  Is lightening going to strike??

If I take that thinking a little further training and being with a DAD is often like trying to sort out all of the religions here on earth.   Many trainers of these dogs (including ALL dog sports) think that there is ONLY ONE WAY to find God.  They often believe that their way is the ONLY way and if you don’t do it that way then you are bad or your dog is bad or your methods are bad.  You can only get the desired results by following the correct program! 

Like I said I am really sick right now so my thinking is goofy.  Bear with me…I have watched many VERY SUCCESSFUL and VERY sought after dog trainers do extremely well.  What I have observed is that SOME of them follow a particular program and when they get a dog that doesn’t learn the way they teach they wash the dog from the program and say the dog is worthless.  The dog gets somewhere else and all of the sudden the dog starts to succeed because how it was being taught changed.  The dog becomes successful.  I have watched others trainers who perhaps arent as big name take the time to figure out HOW the dog learns and believes that NO MATTER what they are going to stick it out.  They love the dogs enough to go the distance with them to help pull out all of the things that a dog is meant to be to a human.  To me me that is what almost any Religion tries to do with their followers…pull the absolute best out of us morans that are trying to find the right path in life.  Different Religions just ask the questions slightly different….EVENTUALLY we find the one that works best for us, that helps us ask the right question, but they do help us get to the RIGHT answer….which is that GOD LOVES US ALL. For us Christians He loves us so much that He sent HIS Son to us as baby.  But even among Christians they fight and think THEIR way is the only way.

I gotta be honest I am not always sure of all of the answers about religion or dog training.  I know that God loves me and I know that I love dogs enough that I am going to treat them as the gift they are to me and love them enough to build a STRONG relationship.  Just like my faith sometimes it takes LOVE and sometimes it takes DISCIPLINE but it always take UNDERSTANDING.   We are each different and dogs are each different.  When someone tells me they have all of the answers or that there is ONLY ONE WAY to do something..I usually don’t argue much…I learn as much as I can from them and then I run to the nearest exit.

I don’t know why I am writing this tonight on Christmas Eve but these are the thoughts on my heart tonight.  Before I go to sleep I am going to pray and Thank God for sending His Son for us and I am going to Thank Him for the most wonderful gifts I have in my life…my friends, my family and my dogs.  All 3 are gifts from Heaven and all 3 have taught me something in life.

Merry Christmas to you all….may you find your own path to what you are meant to be…but remember your path is not built alone.  Think outside the box and be thankful for what you have.  May God bless us all!

Waiting and Watching   The meaning of the season…………

Puzzle at 5 months

Puzzle is growing up!  She is no longer the cute cuddly puppy that she once was but is now turning into a busy active dog.  She has lost all of her baby teeth on one side of her mouth and the other side they are loose.

Puzzle is one of the best puppies I have ever had the privilege to raise. She is an awesome alerter and a joy to be around.  She is starting to hit what I call the terrible 2’s in dog terms but even this phase is MILD compared to what I have seen from others I have raised.  She is just a very sensitive and loving dog that wants so badly to please.  She is young but the pieces are all there!

She does well with scent games and does even better with real time scent.  I have had a horrible sinus infection. With diabetes when you are ill your BG often runs higher. On Sunday no matter what I did I could not get my BG below 200.  With 4 alert dogs in the house it was getting annoying with all the alerting, so I put every one but Bravo in their port-a-kennel.  I am laying in my recliner when I hear whining from my bedroom.  I go in and Freedom, Radar, and Puzzle are all 3 whining and moaning in the kennels.   Pretty soon I could only hear one dog whining…the whining gets loader and almost sounds like a moan. It continues to get loader when all the sudden it turns into howling.  Not howling like a bored dog in a back yard. I go back into the bedroom and here is Puzzle with both paws half way up the kennel door, while laying down. As I bent down to see what the problem was she throws her head back and lets loose with this howl, moan, groan, yawn combo.  Since this was a sound I had not heard before I opened her kennel door and she jets out and sits right at my feet and STARES up at me.  She then paws at my leg.  I reach down pet her and tell her thank you.  I then put her back in her kennel.  About a half hour goes by……..when she starts doing it again.  I have got to get a video of this….it is a sound that I have never heard a dog make before.  Cheveyo (her dad) has a sound that is unusual as well but this was even different that that.  It was almost like she was in pain because I was sick.

Anyhow I am really digging this pup.  She is now ready to start doing some more rigorous obedience and public access stuff.  I have raised a lot of puppies in the last 15 years…but this one is trying really hard to crawl into my heart!  She is a very special dog who I know is going to be for a very special person!

 

How can you not love this face!!!!!!!!!!!!

The Dentist

What can a dentist have to do with a Diabetic Alert Dog forum??

Well today I had to go to the dentist….I LOVE my dentist but I hate the profession…….sorry but I once had a very horrible experience with a dentist who is currently in prison for dealing drugs….he drilled into my sinus cavity and in general caused a LOT of pain and suffering.  You turn on that drill in a dentist office and I am like a deer in the headlights of your car!

Sorry I digressed a little….my dentist is a really cool guy that I originally met when he called me to get some dog training.  He became a hero when he fixed some of the handiwork work of the druggie dentist that scarred me for life!  Dr Toone is a good man.  He likes dogs, seems to be a good dad, and a good husband, and in general gets life….I just don’t like going to the dentist…so therefore I don’t see him but about once a year or so and then only after I am nagged into it.  I know me being a fraidy cat about dentist  doesn’t fit the the rest of me.

Today at the dentist I was filling him in on my life of the last year.  He was very interested in hearing what diabetic alert dogs are and what they can do.  With both elbows in my mouth he makes a profound statement…”KC….I do believe you have found your purpose in life.” He goes on to say..”KC you are one of the most honest, down to earth people, who knows dogs and loves people, and you can combine all of those gifts”. “ That is just incredible…what do you see as you role?”  Through all the drool, my mind is racing.  What am I going to do?  We chat more about the various DAD agencies and what some of them are charging for a dog and how it seems out of reach for some.  My brain is still racing…it is almost putting thoughts out as fast as he little suction thing is sucking up the drool. He is done, gives me lots of things to think about and I hit the road.

What is my purpose in this?  What more can I do???  How can I help make a difference?  Don’t you just love those seemingly innocent moments that turn your life upside down?

What Am I?

For those of you who dont know this yet I am officially diagnosed as a Type 1 diabetic.  Late onset but still type 1, which means that almost everything I have learned to this point about diabetes is now null and void.  This is auto immune and my body has a mind of its own.

I have been struggling to keep perspective….I KNOW a lot about Type 2 diabetes and while it is good information to know some of it doesn’t apply to Type 1.  Type 1 is is the simplest definition is my body has decided to stop producing any insulin and is attacking itself.  You know outside enemies are hard but when your own body is a spy working against you IT BITES!

For a long time they really didn’t know what I was….now they have decided I was/am in a “honeymoon” phase of type one.  It is an extended “honeymoon”.  I really want to know what genius come up with that particular term for this phase of T1 diabetes. May I just say at this point if I married diabetes and it treated me like diabetes has….I would have taken it to the west desert, killed it, and hid all remains!!!!  Come on……a honeymoon does NOT constitute in my head what my last year and half of life has been! UGH

Anyhow…all of us like/dislike labels. Sometimes we agree with the, sometimes we disagree but human nature is to categorize things. So for right now my label is T1 diabetes.  YES ADULTS CAN GET IT but no matter the age NONE of us want it.

A friend of mine has a 6 year old girl with T1 diabetes.  Her and her mom were cuddling on the bed when she asked her mom this question “If you could have 1 wish what would it be?”  Her mom replies “I don’t know, what about you?” all the while thinking this should be good….it is close to Christmas.   The little girl looks up and says “I would wish I didn’t have diabetes”.  How do you answer that?

Well I know what I have but like that little girl……….I wish I didn’t but since I do….how about using it to help people.  I have an unusual perspective in that I also have diabetes and I also know a far amount about dogs and I love to help people.  If I have to have it then I am not going to have it in vain.

Sometimes My Heart Aches….Part 2

Recently I have fielded many questions from various places about diabetic alert dogs. DAD’s are a lot  of HARD WORK…but in my opinion they are worth the amount of effort it takes.  Compared to dealing with diabetes DAD’s are easy…on top of diabetes it can seem insurmountable.  Honestly not everyone with diabetes is a good fit for a DAD….not every DAD is a good fit for that particular person.  It is a team thing and there is so much that we don’t know. 

I currently have 5 alerting dogs at my house at various stages in training. I have Bravo, Radar, Puzzle, Freedom, and Maxx.  Two of those five are permanent fixture, the other 3 are here for a time….for a reason and for a season.  There is a lot of humor when I go high or low and the dogs are all alerting.  The mental picture of the stare, the pawing, the smacking on the head, the howling in the kennel, and the bringsel’s or meters in mouth is FUNNY…but when you are low and still trying to deal with diabetes…..it also can make you ONRY!  Sometimes I can hardly get to the meter or the treatment of the low or high with all the dogs around me.  It is very interesting if you like dogs and dog behavior.

I live, eat, and breath dogs. Thank goodness….but I have to tell you I really don’t like deciding where dogs go.  It hurts my heart.  I LOVE training dogs.  I love being with the dogs.  I love what they teach me and watching them grow….but WHO AM I TO DECIDE WHO GETS THESE DOGS??????  It is frustrating to put your heart and soul into a dog and then for whatever reason the dog won’t do what it is suppose to do for the new person.  It is frustrating when you get calls like….”I am not going to dialysis because it just isn’t worth it but I NEED a diabetic alert dog.  It is frustrating when you spend time and energy in training and the dogs are treated like a soldier and because they didn’t take the order …they are bad dog or you are a bad trainer. 

Sometimes my heart aches ….part one

Sometimes people want to ask 50 questions about diabetes and living with it.  Sometimes they think they have a right to tell me what to do.  Sometimes they make some of the most stupid  comments.

This lady gives you a view into the life of living with diabetes.  Check it out! 

http://ourdiabeticlife.blogspot.com/2010/11/ive-got-something-to-sae.html

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!