The Service Dog Academy to Hold Puget Sounds First Diabetic Alert Dog Training Class
A Diabetic Alert Dog Training Student Posing in front of our award from the Association of Pet Dog Trainers Contest for Train Your Dog Month
West Seattle, March 7, 2011—The Service Dog Academy, located in West Seattle, will be teaching the Puget Sounds groundbreaking train your own Diabetic Alert Dog training class starting April 7th at 7:30PM. The revolutionary class will teach students to train their dogs to alert to low blood sugars, retrieve sugary drinks to correct blood sugar imbalances and to get human help when needed. This class is intended for both pet dogs and dogs training for service work.
Service Dog Academy’s owner, Mary McNeight, understands the devastating effect diabetes can have on ones entire life. Her grandmother suffered from diabetes when she was a small child and her father is living with the consequences of poor management of the condition due to memory problems. She knew that, thanks to genetics, she would eventually develop the condition. She decided that she didn’t want to suffer the same fate as her family members so she set off to educate herself on how to train her own diabetic alert dog, dogs typically used for people with type 1 diabetes only.
“Up until recently Type 2 diabetics have been unable to get a diabetic alert dog. With Type 2 diabetes at epidemic proportions and the cost of a trained diabetic alert dog running upwards of $20,000” said Mary, “I didn’t think it fair that only the super rich Type 1 diabetics were able to afford help in managing their condition.”
Using their incredibly powerful noses, a properly trained diabetic alert dog can alert to changes in blood sugar 10 minutes before a meter can detect it. This means diabetics no longer suffer the devastating consequences of prolonged highs or coma inducing lows. Blood sugar control becomes tighter and results in dramatically improved health.
The Service Dog Academy’s groundbreaking class is only $650 and is for dogs 4 months and older. Dogs only need basic obedience commands to enroll in the class. Students can register for the class online at http://www.servicedogacademy.com
“Thanks to this program” Mary said, “now anyone with a well behaved dog can benefit from the use of a diabetic alert dog to better control their diabetes.”
Mary McNeight, BGS, CCS is available for interviews to discuss the training of diabetic alert dogs, service dogs and her highly innovative dog training school located in West Seattle.
Mary would also be willing to discuss how her dog Liame, a yellow lab, originally trained for diabetic alert due to Mary’s interest in it, inadvertently after several months of no training started alerting Mary to low blood sugar issues she has been having over the last month. Mary has not been diagnosed as a diabetic but found out that one of the medications she had been taking ended up having an unexpected side effect lowering her blood sugar.
Service Dog Academy was founded to train pet dogs as well as service dogs. They offer a variety of classes at their West Seattle location and are also available for private appointments. The proceeds from the pet training classes help subsidize their low cost service dog training program. Although the company is not a non profit, they operate as such by funneling their profits into those that cannot afford their services. Their certified trainer is committed to helping you and your pet build an exceptional relationship. For more information or to sign up for classes, please visit www.servicedogacademy.com.
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Contact
Mary McNeight, BGS, CCS
Service Dog Academy, LLC
206-355-9033
mary@servicedogacademy.com
My husband and I are very interested in your class but are unable to take it at this time. My husband is type 2 diabetic on insulin. I am on pills. We have a 2 1/2 yr old Papillon that we would like to train. She will be 3 yrs old in May. She has been to obedience training, has a few issues still and would like her to be able to pass the Canine Citizenship Test. Would she be a good candidate? Thanks, Denise
I’ve been type 1 for 30 yrs. Had self trained service (alert) dog for 12 yrs. Very interested in your class. Horse trainer by trade (health willing) I am interested in apprentices for you course, or signing up for it. Live in northern ca, thanks.