A Serendipitous Encounter

Yesterday, while at U Mass Boston for a basketball tournament, we met a woman who works for Dr. David Scadden, the Harvard Stem Cell Research Institute researcher who along with Dr. Douglas Melton leads the stem cell research to find a cure for Type 1 Diabetes. She described herself as Dr. Scadden's 'work wife' but she didn't go into details about her specific role. 

She had approached us with eyes for Bo and when I answered her question of what Bo's job was, she shared her work relationship to Drs. Scadden and Melton. 

It was encouraging hearing her talk so emphatically about stem cells curing Type 1 Diabetes in the future -- even in Austin's future. I'm so thankful for the bright minds and hard work of all the people who are making finding a cure for Type 1 the focus of their life work. And, for all those who fund finding a cure.

Basketball Tournament Weekend

Scenes from a weekend away at a basketball tournament. 

Bo on place at restaurant.

Waiting to enter basketball courts.

Between games.

Boy and pup hanging together.

Between games at Cabela's.

Bo alerted to a high at Cabela's.

Boy and Pappa checking out fishing poles.

Waiting for the Mama.

Boy and pup working together at Cabela's.

Shopping together.

Picture in front of the taxidermy display.

Go team!

Working Together at School

Bo 'under' during religion class.

I am hopeful this image of Bo working with Austin in a classroom is foreshadowing of what's to come this summer when Austin attends 9th grade confirmation I class in June and a high school writing course in July.

The pup does a great job alerting us on Austin's out of range blood sugars. His low alerts are especially helpful because Austin doesn't feel his low blood sugars and is often asymptomatic. 

Last summer, Austin spent the summer with Bo and we saw a decrease in his A1c. I'm hopeful we will see the same drop this summer as boy and pup spend all day together day in and day out.  I'm also hopeful the one-on-one time will further strengthen their bond. 

Ideally, Austin would have tucked Bo's tail in to
protect it from being stepped on,

Night Alerts

He does some of his best work for us while we are tucked in bed sleeping. Thusday night he woke me with an alert before 2 am. Austin had been 189 before bed but he had also spent hours on the golf course. The activity caught up with him and he went low. Bo caught the 60 before our scheduled check. Anyone who questions the ability of a trained DAD, only needs to spend a few nights with us to understand the ability of a DAD's nose.

Low Alert While Home Alone

Boy and pup

Today, Bo alerted to directly to Austin while the two were home alone. Austin was resting in my bed when Bo came into the room, jumped on the bed and alerted Austin with a paw swipe. Austin asked him if he needed to check and Bo paw swiped him a second time. Austin checked; he was 52. He treated himself with juice and then rewarded Bo with chicken. 

Ideally, Bo would have alerted before Austin got to 52. We use scent samples between 70 and 85 for training. While 52 is lower than I would like, it's better than no alert given the fact Austin doesn't feel his lows.

Bo's First Basketball Tournament

This nose knows.

Last Saturday we were at a basketball tournament with Austin and Bo from 5:30 to 10:30 pm. While Austin sat and played with his teammates on the court, we watched the games from the balcony with Bo. He alerted to a high while Austin was playing.

It was a busy, loud and crowded environment with lots of distractions. Food on the floor was one of the biggest and most difficult distractions for Bo, although he responded promptly to my commands to 'leave.' All the training we've done at basketball games helped prepare him for a tournament atmosphere.

Watching the games from the balcony.

Bo tucked between my legs and the balcony glass.

Generalizing the Alert Behavior

Bo waiting for me after an alert.

One of the many key concepts in scent training involves teaching your dog when you ask him to perform a behavior it means the same thing regardless of the environment or scenario. This is called generalization; teaching a dog to generalize a behavior involves training the behavior in different locations and under different distractions. It also involves changing up the position of your body when you ask for the behavior. Once a dog is able to generalize a behavior, he is able to give the behavior on cue despite the scenario. 

During a recent extended stay at a vacation home, Bo demonstrated his ability to generalize his night time alert behavior. The vacation home was larger than our home and the floor plan was much different. I wondered if Bo would alert at night given the new space. Would he find his way from the room where he slept with Austin to the room where I slept. Would he come to the side of the bed to wake me? Would he lead me back to Austin? 

The first night he demonstrated his ability to generalize night alerting. Despite being in new surroundings, he alerted to a low of 69. Just like he does at home, he left Austin's bed and came to the side of the bed where I slept to wake me. When I stood up, he bowed at my feet and then he led me to Austin. 

Bo with reward toy after a game of getcha.

What really impressed me was his ability to also generalize his reward behaviors. Just like at home, he went to the refrigerator to get his food reward, then he followed me to the bin where his reward toy was and waited for me to initiate a game of 'getcha.' After a few laps of me pretending to get him, I cued him to return to the kitchen with the toy. He dropped the toy and waited for his last treat before returning to bed with Austin.  

Night after night in this new space he worked just like he works at home. He alerted to lows in the 80s and highs ranging from 173 to 220. His alerts were not limited to at night, he alerted during the day catching post skiing lows in the 70s and 80s, as well as highs related to temp basal decreases that were a bit too aggressive. 

Settled 'under' after being rewarded for a high alert.

At the ski lodge, he broke place from under the table to alert but Austin's blood sugar was 157, so we told him we would 'watch.' Within 12 minutes he re-alerted by paw swiping my leg from under the table; this time Austin's blood sugar was 187 and in Bo's high reward range. After being treated for his alert, he settled back under the table where he remained until we left. 

Being away on vacation has provided Bo the opportunity to demonstrate his ability to generalize his alert behavior. Seeing him work successfully in new environments and under different distractions fills my heart with pride and gratitude. We've come so far on our journey.