Life with a Working Dog

My name is Matt Tarro, I'm 33 years old and was diagnosed with Type 1 Diabetes in 2002.

I promise we'll get to my best friend and Diabetic Alert Dog, Forest - but I want you to better understand why I entered into a working relationship with a highly-trained, intelligent animal.

Flash-back to my sophomore year at Bishop Hendricken High School, in Warwick, Rhode Island. My parents had gone to a medical conference in Las Vegas and when they returned home, I had lost 15lbs in the short week they were away. I told them about my constant thirst and sleeping spells in school - and they knew immediately what was happening to my adolescent body.

I was tested, admitted, and diagnosed within hours the next morning.

To be precise, my chronic illness diagnosis was just days before Thanksgiving and the start of another busy holiday season. Since my father and brother were doctors and my mother a nurse at the hospital I was being seen at - I was let go early. The idea was that I'd have my parents and family to help with my new lifestyle. The help provided over the next few years laid my character groundwork - they showed me how to be a better person and live a happy, giving life.

Diabetes was treated differently when my father was on the medical staff in the 70's, they counted sugars not carbs and the process to test your levels and administer insulin was painstaking. I ended up teaching him a lot of developments that he didn't know in the last few years of his life, and it was very special. I am truly lucky to have everything in this life, even my Type 1 diagnosis. It's helped me look at things differently and has push me to work harder for myself and those around me.

It's now 16 years later and my work experience and life with Diabetes has brought me a lot of places, shown me a lot of things, and helped me overcome challenges I never imagined facing. One challenge I overcame was my dependence on others input and validation. I was never totally sure if what I was doing was correct, so the mere thought of someone else validating what I was doing made me more confident. Work, personal relationships, and my social life thrived when my confidence grew.

One aspect of my life, however, was missing a signifiant amount of effort and validation... and that was how I managed my Type 1 Diabetes.

I stoped smoking cigarettes, stoped consuming alcohol, and significantly cut back on the amount of red meat that I ate in 2015 just before moving to happiness and constant sunshine. My growth as an adult has been more plentiful in California than it was anywhere else. I have been more active, happier, and hyper-focused learning about my disease and how it REALLY affected my day-to-day life. I physically felt better, but mentally, I was still having a lot of issues working through the things I'd experienced. The loss of my mother in 2009 and my ailing father put things into perspective about how I wanted to better my immediate situation.

As hard as I was working, my Type 1 Diabetes was taking a beating as it was mismanaged, unkempt, and constantly stressed.

That changed when I started working with a dog.

I know, that may seem ridiculous - but my dog saved my life.

I get a lot of questions about what type of dog make for a good working partner, and I typically give the same answer. It's whatever breed YOU feel most comfortable working with. I follow up with the formal answer as well, since it's very important to pick from the Sporting group. As described by the American Kennel Club - "Naturally active and alert, Sporting dogs make likable, well-rounded companions. First developed to work closely with hunters to locate and/or retrieve quarry. There are four basic types of Sporting dogs; spaniels, pointers, retrievers and setters." These dogs have a lot of energy and motivation to make you happy. Constantly. They live for it, it's what generations of their ancestors have done and the nose makes for an excellent tool to fight against Hypo-unawareness.

Forest is a three and a half year-old Weimaraner and he's my best friend. Every day we work on blood sugar management together, finding happiness in the small things, and loving life. Oh yeah, and eating peanut butter. It started when I was paired with him in early 2016 after my initial decision to work with a dog. I wanted to work with one who had a personality, would match my enthusiasm for life, and stamina. Given I was an active adult male - I also wanted a dog I'd also be able to go on long camping journeys with, ride my bike with, and feel comfortable working with.

Once I made the decision that this is what I wanted to do, a dedicated team at Diabetic Alert Dogs of America went on a literal hunt to find my new partner, one that normally takes 2-3 weeks. Forest, took a bit longer to find because Weimarners are NOT your typical working dog breed. They pair you and start training the young pup immediately and the dog is anywhere between 6-8 months old when it starts training. Companies operate differently - while some are free, others like the service I used cost money. You're not buying a pet, you're starting a team with an intelligent animal.

The fee I paid was for them to find and train a dog to the best of their ability and have him delivered to me as I worked in Venice, California. There are options for you to train your own dog or bring a dog to them and train - but the tests administered in a litter room will tell a good trainer what they need to know. Dog's either have the ability to work - or they don't.
My position at Snap Inc. was stable and I was getting ready to tell my team about my new partner. I was INCREDIBLY nervous. I had to tell them that this was happening and the dog would be with me very soon. Legally, they didn't have much of an option to say no. I just knew how I would need to handle myself and not be in the way while not over-stepping my boundaries. All while working and training with my new young dog.

The thing about having a dog with you 24/7 is ..... well... you now have 6 legs!! You'll always stand out and have people looking at you, always! Smile and go on about your business.
Be mindful of your partner and the normal requirements to care for a dog, the more you develop a friendship - the stronger your work ethic becomes. The more work you put in, the greater your success.

What Forest can do

He's able to smell a chemical change in my body that I cannot feel and will alert me when it happens.

Hypo-unawareness, in-short, is lacking the ability to sense dangerous low blood sugars, and it's something I've struggled with for a long time. I wasn't always, but I'm now very conscience of my blood sugar every hour of every day by using a Continuous Glucose Monitor (CGM). I use both a One Drop meter test kit and my CGM as part of my daily routine since Forest can't tell me trends, or my exact glucose level. He will, however, alert me AHEAD of the CGM a lot of times. His body language and eyes say it all.

He'll lock eyes with me and I can sense his willingness to tell me something...

"HEY DAD!! I CAN SMELL THAT THING YOU TOLD ME TO SMELL!!"

That thing - is a chemical called Isoprene and all humans release it when they exhale. (More semi-unrelated studies on this chemical.)

He uses his front paws and places them on my leg, arm, or side - depending on where we are and what we're doing. It's silent and only takes a second but sometimes it's also soft and gentle because he understands our environment and the need to be so.

Every time his paw touches my body or he nudges me in response to that chemical rising or dropping - he receives a treat. Usually salmon treats .. or peanut butter, his favorite. Every paw = another treat. When we're in public, we draw a lot of attention! This act is seen by many people every week while we continue to train on his public access and scent detection.

The dogs trained by this company spend 6-8 months in the program going through three courses over that time. First is basic obedience, which is your typical commands for any well-mannered dog. The second is public access, allowing for the dog to stay focused on the handler in high-traffic environments - This will come in VERY handy down the line. The last bit of this process is the most difficult for the dog.. the scent detection.

Whenever Forest smells his target, he gives an alert! Throughout his training, I received emails, photo and video updates each week with his progress and growth. Once he was delivered, he alerted within 15 minutes of meeting me! My blood was running high after a pump-site failure and he knew right away. The look on his face when he realized that the faint smell from cotton balls was actually coming from me - was priceless. We had both come so far to get there.. our real work was just beginning.

Here are a few things to understand about this specific relationship!

Everywhere you go, your dog is likely going with you.

The first few years of training take a lot of time and patience, practice, and failure. Sometimes it's not necessary for your dog to be by your side, you are able to make that decision when you've achieved trust with your teammate and can safely navigate without them. One example would be going into an establishment it may be hard to tell everyone NOT to pet the dog. Like, a bar on a busy night. If you're an adult and you chose to have a night out and would like to leave the dog at home, thats OK! Be very mindful of your medical needs and try not to leave the dog for too long - like more than 4 hours at any time.

Working dogs are trained to work with a specific handler, on a single specific task. This is why the ADA provides safe access laws for individuals working with dogs. This is an overview of what's happening right now in society as it pertains to these laws and how people perceive them.

Legality

There are only two questions that an establishment is allowed to ask when I enter their premises with Forest. The second question is what individuals with emotional support dogs cannot answer, as their animal hasn't been trained to do anything specifically.. or at all most of the time. People use this excuse as a way to gain entry where ever they would like and it happens daily.

Most places don't ask these questions, or if they ask anything at all - they inquisitively say "Service Dog?". This allows for everyone to walk into stores with their untrained animals. If you work in a store or retail, make sure you ask these questions accurately. When you ask someone who cannot answer the second question, I'd like for you to think about this next section!

1. Is the dog required because of a disability?

Answer - Yes.

****I don't have to say what my disability is, although it says on his vest and I literally wear my devices on my arm.. but I usually state that I'm a Type 1 Diabetic.

2. What specific task is dog trained to perform?

Answer - Medical Alerts.

****Sometimes I'll even restate "Type 1 Diabetes Medical Alerts".

Working dogs are trained to work with a specific handler, on a single specific task.
That one task, earns them rewards from the handler.

Generally, people don't even ask before making eye contact and then verbal contact with my working dog, both actions are against the law. I could write a whole book on that, but it's where I'll leave you today. People have put their hands on him in every environment, it's just an overall lack of understanding that this dog needs to have it's attention on me at all times. Petting a dog is a form of rewarding an animal, regardless if you look at it that way - it's how the dog views that action. This means they can and will pick up on outsiders infringing on the fragile relationship that takes time and effort to build.

I'm working on staying more positive as I continue looking for work in Southern California.

In the mean time, I'll continue enjoying long car-camping trips with Forest, as you can see in some of our photos. He's helped me so many times on the road - where I'm driving (obviously) and he'll alert me. My CGM says I'm good, but before I know it, my blood is low (or high). I'm way beyond blessed to work with him and I want to go on the road with him over the next year. I want to help inspire anyone with a dog, diabetes, or depression.

There are ways to shed sadness and I personally believe working with a dog has helped not only my Type 1 Diabetes management but my positive outlook on life.

Relationships

Luckily, I don't have to go through any awkward conversations about what Type 1 or how a DAD works..,. since my girlfriend Jenna is also T1D. Forest has been training with her also and I've loved watching his bond grow with her. When the three of us are together, Forest will alert both of us and he is remarkably accurate. It's a joy working with him, since.. every day is bring my dog to work day.

Forest and I have traveled almost 30,000 miles in the last year and a half around the Pacific Northwest. We've camped 50+ nights, gone to a dozen National Parks, and educated everyone we met along the way. I would sit and photograph and set up a time lapse camera and, while Park patrons walked around us, conversation quickly turned to Type 1 Diabetes. People would ask how Forest and I work together, or about Type 1 in general.

We LOVE meeting and inspiring new Type 1's everywhere we go, and to give you an idea of how many places it's been.. I'll give some examples.

-We've flown back and forth across the country 10 times, Forest sits at my feet!
-Attended the final game in the Red Sox World Series win in Los Angeles
-Have attended an LA Kings game, PC Basketball game, and LA Nightclub (For a Beyond Type 1 event).
-Attended two Riding on Insulin snowboard camps, although, he was VERY cold (he has a jacket, don't worry).
-Crew member for the Diabetic Sports Team 82mile Salton Sea - Badwater Ultra Marathon team
-ComplexCon two-day convention with 30,000+ people (met three T1D's over the two days!)

We love getting out and trying new things, and we'd love to come to your community to paint and help spread awareness, education, and motivation.

We're looking to help others - Laziest Pancreas.

Thanks,
Matt