LAS VEGAS, Nev. (FOX5) – A Las Vegas Valley preschooler is one step closer to having a custom-trained, life-saving dog.
In about two or three months, four-year-old Kay Posey and her diabetic alert dog, Maeve, will become a dynamic duo.
“I don’t think that she fully understands yet, but I know once Maeve is home and she’s with us all the time and maybe starts going places with us, Kay will understand like, ‘this is my dog,’” Kay’s Mother, Jessica Drake says.
Kay was diagnosed with Type 1 Diabetes last June. Drake says they’ve faced challenges after the diagnosis.
“With Kay having special needs, she can’t tell me how she’s feeling,” Drake says.
Kay wears a glucose monitor and insulin pump on the back of her arms with pride, but Drake says the technology isn’t perfect.
“There’s times where she is low and her monitor says that she’s still in range,” Drake says.
In March, FOX5 told you about Drake’s goal of finding a diabetic alert dog for Kay. She says the dogs are faster, and more accurate than Kay’s current monitor.
She says having a diabetic alert dog to keep an eye on her four-year-old would bring her peace of mind as a mother.
Now, that peace of mind is coming in the form of a 50-pound Pyrepoodle named Maeve.
Drake says the two are a perfect match.
“Kay was her typical self, loud, she would yell out and run around, and Maeve wasn’t phased at all,” Drake says.
Joanne Sottile with the Diabetic Alert Dogs of America matched Maeve with the family. She says Maeve’s temperament is perfect for Kay’s needs.
Maeve first has to undergo obedience and public access training, with a particular emphasis on getting comfortable around kids.
“They always move a little bit more unexpectedly than your adults do. Loud, you know all that fun and excitement,” Sottile says.
Next, Sottile says they’ll move to scent training.
Using Kay’s saliva samples, Maeve will learn how to smell when her glucose levels are out of range, and then run to alert Drake using her paw.
Maeve will even sleep alongside Kay’s bedside to make sure she stays in range all night long.
“Our dogs will let them know when their blood sugar is at 75, wake them up, alert them. At that point, the diabetic can still take care of themselves and fix it, as opposed to 10 or 15 minutes later, their blood sugar is now at 40, 35, and it’s a really serious and dangerous situation,” Sottile says.
Maeve is one of about 45 dogs apart of the Diabetic Alert Dogs of America’s training program. They train dogs for diabetic clients across the country.
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