FOREST LAKES
They hit it off right away – the 4-year-old girl with chancy health and the 5-month-old Labrador retriever that is going to look out for her.
“It’s all we’ve heard for the past couple of weeks,” Emily Archuleta said of the conversations with her daughter, Aubreana Gonzales, about the arrival of the jet-black dog.
They named the pup Savior, an apt designation for the diabetes-alert dog whose mission is to let Archuleta know when Aubreana’s blood sugar rises or falls precipitously.
Eighteen months ago, Aubreana was airlifted to Children’s Hospital Colorado in Aurora when her blood sugar rose extremely high. As soon as she got squared away, Archuleta put her daughter on a waiting list for a diabetes-alert dog.
The American Diabetes Association says 26 million American adults and children have diabetes, 17 million diagnosed and 9 million undiagnosed. An estimated 70 million Americans are prediabetic.
When a person with diabetes suffers an extreme rise or fall in blood sugar, a chemical process takes place that produces urea, a result of protein metabolism, which is released in urine, sweat and breath.
The scent produced is beyond human detection, but a trained dog can note the scent and alert someone up to 30 minutes before a crisis occurs. The scent of high blood sugar is sugary; low smells like acetone.
Savior will sleep next to Aubreana, although the dog can detect the telltale scent of urea across a room.
Savior arrived in Southwest Colorado on April 30 with Erin Gray, a dog trainer with Service Dogs by Warren Retrievers in Orange, Va. Gray remained four days to get Savior settled in, orient the family about how to accommodate her and to visit public places that Aubreana is likely to frequent.
The American with Disabilities Act requires hotels, retail stores, airlines, restaurants, theaters and taxis to allow service dogs to accompany their charges, without discrimination, any place other people are allowed.
Gray will return every 90 days until Savior is 2 years old to see how the situation is developing.
Aubreana needs a snack every hour to 90 minutes to keep blood sugar normal. She wears an insulin pump and must test her blood sugar 10 to 12 times a day.
Aubreana and Savior got on a first-name relationship immediately. She led the dog on a leash outdoors, and in the house tossed toys for Savior to chase. The Labrador didn’t need encouragement. In new surroundings, she had to explore everywhere.
Gray, whose background includes stints as a commercial and private dog trainer, has been with Warren Retrievers since November.
The firm uses Labradors exclusively and now has 150 to 200 service dogs in Canada, the United States and Mexico, Gray said. They also train dogs to detect symptoms of other conditions, such as autism.
Pups start training at 7 weeks and are ready for delivery when they’re 4 to 6 months old, she said.
If Savior notices something amiss when Aubreana is asleep, she’ll lick the child’s face. If that fails to rouse her, Savior will alert Archuleta, pawing her gently if the blood sugar is high, nudging her if blood sugar is low.
Diabetes-alert dogs will note the scent of urea in anyone, Gray said. Savior pawed a man in an airport on the trip to Colorado, Gray said, adding that she didn’t ask the man any questions.
When Aubreana starts preschool in the fall, Savior will accompany her. Saying the word “place” tells Savior to lie down and wait to be called.
Several organizations around the country train diabetes-alert dogs. Training methods, business practices and cost of dogs vary.
The National Institute for Diabetic Alert Dogs in Cottonwood, Calif., donates 10 percent of its canines each year to people who can’t afford to pay. Other recipients pay $15,000.
Dogs4Diabetics in Concord, Calif., is a nonprofit that operates on private donations and grants. The firm relies on volunteers and doesn’t charge for the dogs.
Archuleta put down $1,000 for a dog and must raise $19,000 more within two years.
daler@durangoherald.com
To contribute
A fund to help Emily Archuleta pay for a diabetes-alert dog for her daughter, Aubreana, 4, remains open. Contributions can be mailed or dropped off at the First National Bank of Durango, 259 W. Ninth St. in Durango. Aubreana’s account is FBOA.D.A.D.
