Alert Dog
Photo Credit: BackaBuddy - Supplied

Little Miss Mae is getting her first dog; only it isn’t just any dog; it is a specialised medical alert dog that will help her family manage her type 1 diabetes.

 

Krugersdorp, South Africa (02 March 2022) – 2-year-old Jenna-Mae or Miss Mae to her family; she was diagnosed with Type 1 Diabetes in September 2021. Her family has done extensive research, and because she is too young to communicate accurately if she feels ill, they have looked at bringing a diabetic alert dog into their home.

Type 1 Diabetes is a life-long struggle that is not lifestyle or diet-related; it is classed as an auto-immune condition. The disease usually presents itself in adolescence. Jenna-Mae’s mother, Cherise, has shared the absolute fear she feels when thinking of everything that can go wrong. The nights are always the hardest.

“Nothing is as scary as sleeping at night, hoping and praying she won’t go low, fall into a coma, and you won’t hear your alarm for her nightly midnight, 2 am and 4 am checks. Or, when you drive back from the shops (just 5 minutes) and you reach home to an unresponsive, unreactive child in the back seat… even though you checked her insulin levels 5 minutes ago… you shake her, scream at her to wake up and try to shove something sugary in her mouth without choking her… not cool mense, not cool.” says mom Cherise

“When her insulin levels are high she is overly busy and unfocused but understands that she is unable to eat sugar or carbs as it will make her feel sick. When she is low she can be very tearful, emotional, tired, and clingy, but she will often tell us to grab her a Super C to bring her levels up”

One of the ways to put parents at ease, is to bring an alert dog into the home. Alert dogs are specially trained and can sniff out drops and spikes in sugar before anyone else is even aware there may be a problem.

The family are working with Lucy Breytenbach from Honey’s Garden alert dogs.

Honey’s Garden Alert Dogs

Lucy Breytenbach founded Honey’s Garden for Medical Alert Dogs in 2014 after a plea from a family with a diabetic son approached her for help. Lucy researched and found that there were no service dogs available in South Africa, and she decided to change that.

Lucy is a qualified Canine Behaviour Practitioner with a BSc (Hons) in Animal Science, Behaviour and Welfare from the University of Plymouth, United Kingdom. With a Practitioners level qualification in Canine Behaviour from The Ethology Academy and over ten years of experience training dogs, Lucy started one of Cape Town’s top canine behaviour companies, “Just Dogs Behaviour Pty”, in 2013.

It was through this company she met young Duncan Smuts. The Smuts needed a Diabetic Alert Dog for Duncan. A diabetic alert dog is trained to detect a drop in blood sugar and to raise the alert. It’s thought that organic compounds in exhaled breath change at low or high blood sugar levels. Meaning a trained dog would be able to sniff out this change.

Lucy trained overseas and returned, establishing the training programme in South Africa. She trained Honey for Duncan. It was a success, and she became inspired to learn about other special needs and support opportunities. Honey also inspired the naming of Lucy’s non-profit company.

Today she pairs dogs with families, making sure the dog is well-suited to the medical need but also to the family.

Honey’s Garden for Medical Alert Dogs trains Diabetic Alert Dogs, Seizure Response Dogs, Psychiatric Service Dogs, Hearing Dogs for the Deaf, Multi-Purpose Assistance Dogs and Emotional Support Dogs.

Community Supports Family

The van der Vyver family have launched a crowdfunding campaign on Backabuddy to help cover the first 12 months of training and food for the alert dog. The fund has already raised over R52 000 towards their target of R60 000, with kind donations from 57 donors.

Funds raised will be paid directly to Honey’s Guide Dogs, a non-profit organisation based in Cape Town which does a phenomenal job of selecting, training, and matching these incredible canines with their ‘forever companions’.

Jenna-Mae is incredibly excited to meet her furry friend, who will forever watch out for her, accompany her to school, and wherever her heart takes her.

“Please help us, to help Miss Mae. This doggie will be part of our family, part of our team, and also a friend to our little sunshine. We know we are on this journey for a reason. We know we have the love and backing of God our Father. And we believe we can do this, with your help” 

If the fundraising campaign exceeds its target, the family will use additional funds raised to purchase Freestyle Libre sensor devices, which will be able to read Jenna-Mae’s sugar levels more accurately and less painfully. These devices cost R1000 and last up to 14 days.

You can support Miss Mae here.


Sources: BackaBuddy – Supplied
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About the Author

Tyler Leigh Vivier is a writer for Good Things Guy.

Her passion is to spread good news across South Africa with a big focus on environmental issues, animal welfare and social upliftment. Outside of Good Things Guy, she is an avid reader and lover of tea.

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