In March of 2016, around my birthday, I began searching for my diabetic alert dog (DAD). I was hoping to find an already-trained DAD. But between the intensive training, vetting, and ongoing care these dogs require, I quickly realized that finding an alert dog came at a high price.
So, with that, I went with the rescue route.
Fate Steps In: Meeting Pheobe
I found Phoebe by pure fate.
She was being treated for kennel cough at the Fine Animal Hospital in Mount Kisco, New York. My family had ties to the practice, and when they met her, they knew instantly she could be the one. My parents met her first. I will never forget my dad calling me and asking if it was okay to bring her home that day. Safe to say, the next day she was on her way to a new life… and little did I know, so did I.
Training Days
Phoebe needed to have basic obedience training that I took her to my local PetSmart for. I worked with an amazing trainer, who was also part of the American Kennel Club. Eventually, she was certified as a “K-9 Good Citizen,” allowing her to volunteer with me in approved public spaces.
As part of her certification, Phoebe also needed task-specific training. This meant she had to learn skills/commands that were direct responses to supporting my needs (in this case, managing my diabetes). I taught her to find certain items like my tester, the kit where I kept my pens, and juice boxes. Most importantly, I began scent training her to detect when my blood sugar was low (anything under 75 mg/dL).
I have to say this process proved to me that patience, time, and a willingness to repeat yourself over and over were the most important things for training Phoebe.
Her First Alert
I will never forget one of the first times Phoebe woke me up from a low. She was super fresh at scent training, and was only rewarded for ‘finding’ the scent and did not have an official alert command. That night, I woke up to Phoebe pacing nervously on my bed.
Moments later, I heard my phone go off, and it was my CGM telling me I was rapidly dropping. Phoebe beat the sensor. This was one of those “OMG, you did it yourself!” moments!
Life Off Duty
Phoebe was my shadow, best-friend, and adventure-buddy. She had a special vest she wore when we went into public places, and it was funny to see her go from ‘strictly business’ to ‘play mode’ the second it came off! My favorite memories had to be taking Phoebe on vacations, and our everyday runs. She was very warm, observant, and loved attention.
Carrying Pheobe’s Legacy
In 2020, I unfortunately lost Phoebe to cancer. It was the peak of COVID. I had just moved into my (now husband and I’s) first home. We also adopted a puppy that we hoped would be Phoebe’s buddy. While on one hand, I was getting to experience so many milestones, I also never felt a low like this that was not diabetes related. We ended up getting another rescue who we named Kirby, who is now very, very spoiled. While Kirby never got to meet Phoebe, I know they would have been an amazing team.
I am hoping to open the doors up again for another potential DAD. In the meantime, I am really focusing on training Kirby to the level of obedience that I had with Phoebe, and I am confident that with a lot of patience, like I had for her, he will get there!
—Written By Nina Yovane, LP-MHC
More about Nina—Nina Yovane is a Licensed Mental Health Counselor (LP-MHC) who specializes in working with adolescents, teens, and young adults. She is passionate about using solution-focused therapy, grief-centered approaches, and dialectical behavior therapy (DBT) in her work. With training in therapeutic crisis intervention and animal-assisted therapy, as well as personal experience living with Type 1 Diabetes, Nina brings over a decade of expertise in health psychology.
Please Note: This story shares Nina’s personal experiences and views only. Breakthrough T1D does not take an official stance on the use of diabetic alert dogs.
