Why The Doguseries?
Most people don’t realize the trials and tribulations of the everyday people medical alert service dogs assist, even to the point of saving their lives. This series highlights these stories and the highly trained service dogs who literally come to their rescue. Starting with medical alert service dogs who assist adults and children with the silent and deadly disease of insulin dependent diabetes.
About
This documentary series follows an innovation in the service dog industry through diabetics whose lives have been transformed by these canines. Despite being bred for the intensive two-year training as dogs to help individuals with physical disabilities, these dogs failed to make the cut as service dogs for various reasons (this one has surface sensitivity, this one’s too active, this one drools too much, etc.). But everything changed when a diabetic service dog trainer had his life saved by one of these dogs. The dog trainer was about to slip into a diabetic coma when the dog alerted him. That sparked an idea: Could other previously rejected service dogs be trained to detect the blood sugar levels of diabetics with their ever-reliable sense of smell? And with that discovery, the service dog industry was transformed with the introduction of medical alert service dogs, as were the lives of the diabetics who came to love and depend upon them. The praise “good dog” has never been more apt than when a dog saves your life.
Episodes
When a service dog trainer is traveling alone with a service dog, exposing the dog to hotels as part of his training, the trainer passes out from low-blood sugar. Even though the dog is not trained to do so, he alerts and the trainer is saved from a diabetic coma. This brought up the question of whether or not the dog could repeat his alerting of low-blood sugar. And could other dogs be trained in this way? If they’re successful, they will have changed the service dog industry.
(Chihuahuas in Baggy Vests) If you’re concerned about justice, then this is an episode that will outrage you. There is no greater plague upon true medical alert dogs than people who put a service dog vest (straight from Amazon) on their untrained dog. Whatever their intentions, people do not realize how the fake service dog epidemic negatively effects people who actually need these dogs to live their lives, specifically dogs trained to alert diabetics.
(Or At Least Let Go of My Leg?) A teacher is matched with a medical alert dog who turns out to have the kind of intelligence that is mind-boggling. Not only has the dog been trained to call 911 in case of an emergency (not officially but you have to hear the story), but the dog unzips her purse, snags her blood sugar meter and brings it to her. Ozark, her medical alert dog, has the kind of intelligence that is both heart-warming and life-saving.
(Diabetes and the Walking Dead) A mother who is waking up every hour throughout the night to check her little girl’s blood sugar levels is the shell of her former self. Until Ophilia, the medical alert dog, enters their lives. The mother begins trusting Ophy for her daughter’s safety, allowing her to sleep through the night. But the dog also changes the relationship of the mother and daughter, because now mom can simply think of her daughter as a child again and not as the disease itself.
(Nobody Has an Ex-Dog) When someone is diagnosed with diabetes later in life, it can bring unwelcome difficulties to a marriage. In this episode, Kathleen Fraser, who was diagnosed at age 2 9, boldly shares the vulnerabilities of how diabetes effects relationships. And how the searing loneliness can be healed by a medical alert dog who brings no judgement.
(Will Save Lives for Treats) One of the common themes that runs through the life of every diabetic with a medical alert dog is how much more reliable the dog’s nose is even compared to the most advanced device made to check blood sugar levels. On average, the dogs beat the machines by 15 minutes. And they do so with (dare we say) a personal touch.
(Educating Bullies) Mabel Moonrising received her medical alert dog when she was in middle school. What she did not expect was the amount of bullying that she would receive from other students for being allowed to bring a dog to school. This episode highlights why it’s so important to educate people regarding the dangers of this invisible disease and the vital role these dogs play in the lives of diabetics.
(or Doggone Duty) As someone in the health service industry, Emma Kleck understands why it’s absolutely vital that her blood sugar levels are maintained. Having a medical alert dog at work not only serves her, but it serves the patients (and sometimes doctors) that she works with as a nurse practitioner. This episode explores how the medical alert dogs function at a place of business.