Although training never ever ends for a service dog, Asha is fully functional and saving my life each and every day. She alerts to both highs and lows at levels that allow me to take care of it without getting sick. 4.0mmol/L for lows and 10.0mmol/L for highs.
I always have my emergency kit with me while we are out and about, either in my purse or in her back pack. (contains my monitor, insulin and a few sources of sugar such as dex tabs, candy, glucagon shot and always a juice box.)
But when I am at home I dont have these thing on me all the time. I do have stashes around the house but have been low to the point of not being able to get to them easily.
I have now trained Asha to retrieve my kit after an alert and bring it to me. I am sure it will come in handy one day. Although because of her I haven't had any emergencies for a very long time now as she catches things before they get dangerous. It wasn't easy teaching her the retrieval of the kit as she is not a big fan of the fetch game. After a few weeks of positive enforcement,lots of treats and getting loved on, she has decided that she will comply consistently every time I
ask her to do so each time.
I am very fortunate to have her in my life. It has given me confidence and independence. She is by my side 24/7 and is welcomed and accepted everywhere I go.
It may take me longer to get errands done now as many people want to stop and talk to me about her. I am all about educating people about service dogs so it is a small price to pay in the big scheme of things.
If anyone is debating on getting a diabetic alert dog, I highly recommend it. Just keep in mind that they require daily training and constant attention. If you are willing to do all that, then it will be the best decision of your life!
Here is a video of her in action!