Yesterday afternoon, we had the chance to meet Kay’s potential Diabetic Alert Dog match, and after spending some time together, we quickly realized that Maeve (pronounced like “save,” but with an M) is the perfect fit for our family. She’s incredibly calm and gentle—even when Kay wasn’t in the best mood and let out a few loud yells, Maeve stayed composed. That kind of temperament is exactly what we need.
Maeve is currently 7 months old, and we were told she could finish her training and be ready to come home in as little as four months! We even brought home a scent kit, which will allow her to start training specifically for Kay’s diabetic alerts once we send it back.
We already adore Maeve for her sweet and steady personality, and we’re overjoyed that she’ll soon be part of our family. Her skills will be life-changing—not just for Kay, but for me, too. We’re hoping to see her a few more times during her training to help build a strong bond so she’s comfortable and confident when it’s time to come home.
I’ve also started working on collecting the scent samples Maeve will need for her alert training. It’s proving to be more challenging than I expected. I knew it wouldn’t be easy, but I didn’t anticipate how difficult it would be to catch Kay’s blood sugar in the exact ranges required. When we did manage to hit two of the needed levels, I confirmed them with a finger poke (since CGMs can be a little off), put on gloves, and cut cotton balls into dime-sized pieces. Then came the hardest part—getting Kay to hold them in her mouth long enough to saturate them with saliva. Understandably, she doesn’t grasp why this has to be done, which makes it tough on both of us.
Still, I’m keeping the bigger picture in mind. The process may be difficult now, but the end result will be so worth it. We have five weeks to collect everything we need, so wish us luck—and I’ll be sure to keep you updated as we go!