To our Friends, Family, and Village,

On December 26, 2025, our lives changed forever when our spirited 9-year-old daughter, Vale, was diagnosed with Type 1 Diabetes. Our spitfire girl, who is a ray of sunshine and keeps us laughing & on our toes, now faces the daily challenge of managing a lifelong chronic condition with no cure. As her parents, we’re committed to keeping Vale safe and helping her thrive, but we need your help to provide her with an extraordinary gift: a diabetic alert dog!

Type 1 diabetes means Vale’s body can no longer regulate her blood sugar on its own. She endures multiple finger pricks, insulin injections, and constant monitoring to prevent dangerous highs (hyperglycemia) or lows (hypoglycemia) that can lead to seizures or worse. Seeing our brave girl navigate this new reality with such courage breaks our hearts and inspires us every day. While technology like continuous glucose monitors helps, a diabetic alert dog could offer Vale an extra layer of protection, independence, and love—something that feels like a warm, wagging tail of hope in our family.

Why a Diabetic Alert Dog for Vale? A diabetic alert dog is far more than a pet—it’s a highly trained companion that could transform Vale’s life and bring peace of mind to our family. Once we adopt a puppy, we're looking at a program that includes 14-16 months of intensive training to ensure the dog is fully prepared for public access, obedience, and alerting to 90% of Vale’s out-of-range blood sugars. These remarkable dogs use their incredible sense of smell to detect changes in blood sugar levels, faster than medical devices.

Here’s how a diabetic alert dog would make a world of difference for Vale: Early Detection of Blood Sugar Changes: These dogs can sense dangerous blood sugar highs or lows by detecting chemical changes in Vale’s breath or sweat, alerting her or us with persistent nudges, pawing, or even fetching her glucose kit. This early warning is critical, especially at night when Vale is asleep and unaware of potentially life-threatening drops—preventing emergencies before they escalate.

Empowering Independence: A diabetic alert dog would give Vale the confidence to be a child first, knowing her furry friend is by her side keeping her safe. It’s a step toward letting her be a carefree kid again, with an added layer of love and protection.

Emotional Support and Companionship: Beyond medical alerts, a diabetic alert dog would be Vale’s constant friend, offering unconditional love and comfort to ease the emotional weight of living with a chronic illness. This bond could help Vale feel less alone, turning scary moments into shared adventures with her loyal puppy.

Reduced Worry for Our Family: Knowing a trained dog is monitoring Vale’s blood sugar, especially during those vulnerable nighttime hours, would ease our constant worry about sudden hypoglycemic episodes that could lead to serious complications. It’s like having an extra set of watchful eyes—and a joyful heart—always with her.

Our Goal and How You Can Help: The cost for Vale’s diabetic alert dog and the comprehensive breeding and specialized training is $15,000. This is a big dream for our family, but with your support, we can make it a reality. Every donation, no matter the size, brings us closer to giving Vale a loyal companion who could save her life and bring endless joy to her days. Your generosity will not only help fund this vital support but also show Vale that she’s surrounded by a community of love and hope. If you can’t donate, please share our story—every share spreads awareness and brings us closer to our goal.

As Vale says, the coolest thing about having T1D is that one day she will have a dog to share the journey with. Everyone who knows and loves our girl knows she loves dogs more than people. She naturally is drawn to animals and their calming nature. Having this companion will heal our family in so many ways. From the bottom of our hearts, thank you for helping our brave girl live a safer, happier, and healthier life. Together, we can give her the gift of a furry hero who will watch over her every step of the way, one alert—and one cuddle—at a time.

Thank you for your love and support!

The Long Family