Diabetic Alert Dog Goes Viral on TikTok
Less than a year ago, when Abbey Karnes posted a TikTok showing her diabetic alert dog interrupting her to notify her of a blood sugar fluctuation, she didn’t think much of it. However, the 18-year-old competitive dancer was quickly surprised when the video went viral. Abbey now has over 320,000 TikTok followers and uses her platform to spread awareness about and educate others on living with Type 1 diabetes and having a service dog.
An Immediate Connection
Abbey was initially partnered with her service dog Darby during a 2-week training camp hosted by Pawsitive Perspectives Assistance Dogs (PawPADs) in June of 2020. The organization based in Minnesota allows the service dogs to choose their jobs and their handlers. When participants, like Abbey, arrive at the camp, they don’t know which pup they’ll be leaving with. Yet, when Abbey and Darby first met, there was a clear connection. Apparently, Darby is a rather quiet pooch. She isn’t a barker, not even for squirrels or birds. Yet, when the camp told Abbey her time with Darby and the other dogs was up, and it was time for them to go back into their crates, Darby started barking after her as she walked away. Abbey said that everyone there knew that at that moment, Darby had chosen her as her handler.
Better Together
The 3-year-old Lab/Golden Retriever mix is so in tune with Abbey that she often nudges her with her nose or paw to stick out her hand before the continuous glucose monitor (CGM) even has the chance. Darby will either use her nose to push Abbey’s hand up or her paw to push it down to signify high or low blood pressure. Since blood sugar that’s too low or high can be fatal, Abbey expresses that she feels much safer with Darby around to keep close tabs on her. In fact, Abbey said that there were a couple of times that Darby practically saved her life due to machine error.
One time when Abbey and her mom were shopping at target, Darby suddenly alerted her by bumping her. Already feeling a bit weird and shaky, this caused Abbey to look at her CGM, which she found had stopped working. She immediately sat in the middle of the aisle to finger prick, and sure enough, Darby had been right to alert Abbey because her blood sugar had plummeted. As Abbey ate some glucose tablets to recover, Darby laid on her legs, carefully observing her to make sure she was alright.
A True Lifesaver
Darby’s main job is to detect blood sugar fluctuations, but she also provides Abbey with mobility assistance when needed. If Abbey’s blood sugar is elevated, it can sometimes cause cramping in her arms and legs that are so severe she can barely walk. If this happens when Abbey is on the stairs, Darby is trained to step with her and brace in case Abbey needs to grab onto her vest for support. Furthermore, if Abbey feels like she might collapse, she can tell Darby “brace,” which helps the pup to anticipate her weight if she ends up collapsing.
Additionally, if Abbey passes out, Darby is trained to get her help. For instance, there was one time when Abbey’s blood sugar dropped while she was waiting for her mom to check them into a hotel before one of her dance competitions. Abbey was outside, confused, and so out of it that she couldn’t find a bottle of juice that was right in front of her. Darby instantly got nervous as well, her ears went back, and she was walking around trying to locate someone to help Abbey. Plus, an interesting part about that was that they had never trained Darby to do so if Abbey was still awake, but Darby knew Abbey needed help regardless.
Unlike most pups that stop working once their service vests come off, Darby’s job doesn’t stop, even when she’s playing with the family dog Macy, an English Springer Spaniel. Because of this, Avvey lets her pooch rest as much as possible, posting videos to TikTok of her cradling the relaxed Darby in her arms while she sings a specialty lullaby she wrote for her. Abbey says the two are best friends, and she doesn’t know what she’d do without her loving service dog.
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@abbey.n.darbylong day of work for this very hungry girl ##servicedog ##hungry ##alertdogdarby ##diabeticalertdog
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