After more than seven years of keeping me alive, the time is drawing near for Ricki to retire.

Ricki is a diabetes alert dog. She lets me, Lauren—a type 1 diabetic—know when my blood sugars are over 140, under 100, or changing by a rate of more than about 6%. She’s more precise than any sensor and has been my guardian angel since 2016. She brought my A1C down from the low 8s in college to a steady 5.5 for the last 5+ years, almost certainly adding years to my life and saving me from the miserable complications of diabetes. While she will continue to work until she decides she would rather stay home, it’s time for me to start fundraising for her successor.

Early Alert Canines, a non-profit based in Concord, CA, did an amazing job training Ricki, but they’ve since raised their price for placement, so I’m turning you to please help me fund her successor. I know I wouldn’t be alive today if it weren’t for Ricki, and I know her successor will be just as amazing.

“Operation Retire Ricki” is a multi step process that required us to first buy a house so Ricki has somewhere to retire to. We were on the hunt for what felt like forever, and finally our 11th offer was accepted. The house we got ended up needing significantly more work than anticipated, so any funds we raise over the goal will go to improving the safety and security of Ricki’s new yard. (She was truly the driving force for choosing the houses we offered on!)

We are so grateful for your support and we appreciate anything at all you can contribute—even a small gift can make a world of difference for our lives! Thank you!