A young college student now has a four-legged friend with a mutual love after four years of the waiting process. This friend is there to keep her company outdoors and also most importantly to keep her safe.
Julia Duprey was diagnosed with type 1 diabetes in 2004 at the age of 6. That means her body is unable to produce insulin or produces very little. She was introduced to a new best friend named Pretzel in October. Pretzel is a 14 years old diabetic alert dog. He is a service dog that helps people with diabetes detect dangerously low or high blood sugar levels. This is very important for Julia because if she fails to control her blood sugar level it can be life-threatening.
Because November is Diabetes Awareness month, Julia spoke about her story to spread awareness.
Duprey said, “Diabetic alert dogs are trained mostly by scent”
Diabetic alert dogs are trained to detect and identify the glucose level by the scents that are expelled from their owner’s breath and palms. So these particular scents let Pretzels detect Julia’s levels and alert her when needed. A fruity sweet scent means her sugar level is high, and a sweaty scent means her sugar level is low.
Duprey said, “Yes, no, she is just like in addition to her being like my lifeline, she is also like a built-in best friend and companion. She sleeps on my bed every night, she actually sleeps with me and my cat which is the cutest thing ever”.
It is not that easy to get an alert dog. The process of getting an alert dog takes a lot of patience. But Julia is really grateful for what she got. Julia had to be on a waiting list for two years to get Pretzels. And during that time she raised funds and asked for support from her community.
It costs around $5,000 – $10,000 to get a diabetic alert dog. And this cost does not cover by the insurance.
Duprey said, “ I received Pretzel fully through the donations on GoFundMe. I got donations from friends and family and actually a bunch of strangers that I didn’t even know which is remarkable the kindness of strangers”.
After she raised enough money she managed to adopt Pretzel from a service dog company called CARES. The ceremony was in Kansas. It was a special day and also a happy day for Julia and Pretzel.
Duprey said, “It was very emotional and my mom and I were started crying because it was so emotional and the trainer brought her to my feet and I bent down and gave her a big hug”.
Before getting Pretzel Julia had to depend on her Dexcom, which is an electronic device attached to her leg that tracks her glucose level and sends her phone updates throughout the day. According to Julia, it wasn’t very accurate but now because of Pretzel, she doesn’t have to worry at all.
Duprey said,” Back in the Airbnb I had low blood sugar and she stayed by my side for two hours while I was recovering. My mom and I were sitting there kind of crying thinking ‘oh my God this is going to be life-changing!’ this is the best decision for me.”
When diabetic alert dogs detect a change in the glucose level they alert the owner in different ways.
She said, “She kind of stares at you honestly and sometimes she might come over to you and she might bark, what we do with the training is if I am high or low we’ll say Pretzel Check!”.
Pretzel made a huge difference in Julia’s life and her parents’ life So Julia encourage others with type 1 diabetes to get a service dog like this. Because of Pretzel now Julia can move to a college dorm and not worry about fainting or sleeping through a low or high glucose alert.
Julia said, “I love Pretzel with all my heart and I am beyond that I got her,”
For those who want to keep up with their journey, you can check out their Instagram or Facebook, and if you wish to donate for Pretzel’s needs visit Julias GoFundMe.