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Diabetic Alert Dog for Jeffrey

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Jeffrey was diagnosed with Type 1 Diabetes on June 17, 2007.  On Day 2 at Cook Children's Hospital in Fort Worth, Jeff began giving himself injections and learned how to prick his fingers to test his blood sugar.  He's now on an insulin pump and has done an excellent job of managing his diabetes, with the help of his family.  However, he won't live at home forever.



Our hope is to send Jeff off to college next year with Coop, a Diabetes Alert Dog (D.A.D.)  He will be his companion and caretaker. With Coop at his side, Jeff will have the opportunity to live a relatively normal life. He will alert Jeffrey when his blood sugar is dangerously high or low.  Most significantly, Coop is large enough to rouse Jeff when he is sleeping to alert him or a neighbor that he needs to treat his high or low. This special dog will be a big help during what could be a life-threatening situation.



Coop is an Irishdoodle. These dogs are specifically bred for their ability to be trained and their sensitivity to the smell of high and low blood sugar.  Within the first week of life, Coop was beginning to learn the unique scents of both Hyper and Hypoglycimia.  After basic training at the kennel, he then works for 4 months with the folks at NIDAD, the National Institute for Diabetic Alert Dogs.  

NIDAD, works with kennels and trainers to offer a well-trained service animal while keeping the costs reasonable.  Coop will be around 6 months old when Jeffrey gets to bring him home.  The cost is $10,000.  With the help of family and friends, we have already paid a $1000 deposit.  Any excess funds will be used to help pay for the expense of traveling to California to pick up Coop  in early November.  Anna and Jeff will also stay for a few days to train with Coop at NIDAD.  

Diabetes Alert Dogs are considered service animals and are covered by the protections of the Americans with Disabilities Act. This means that Coop will be allowed to go wherever Jeffrey goes.  


To find out more about NIDAD and the training program, click the links below:  

NIDAD Home Page:  http://www.nidad.com/index.html 
FAQ:  http://www.nidad.com/faqs.html
NIDAD Facebook Page:  https://www.facebook.com/pages/National-Institute-for-Diabetic-Alert-Dogs/147852578606691 


Irishdoodles doing diabetic scent work at 5 weeks old.  



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Donations 

  • Cory Hess
    • $5 
    • 8 yrs
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Organizer

Anna Gillette
Organizer
Lambertville, NJ

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