June Profile

Magali and Bonny

Bonny recently passed his accreditation test. I am so proud of him. I was initially nervous about my performance rather than Bonny's, but it went well. I find shopkeepers are mostly welcoming of Disability Dogs and their handlers. In SA, Service dogs or Assistance dogs are called Disability Dogs. We have a Dog and Cat Management Board which also approves Disability Dogs and Bonny was accredited with them when he was 6 months old.
 
We have been going to our local shopping centre and our beachside suburbs regularly (we both enjoy a walk by the sea). We also swim and even tried boogie-boarding for the first time a few weeks ago. Bonny has a doggy lifejacket so if he gets tired swimming, he can rest and float easily in the water.

Bonny continues to alert for low glucose levels which saves me time and money, as I have appointments that I still have to pay a fee for even if I can't make it. I used to have hypos where it would take a while to recover, and I couldn't drive to my appointments. Thanks to Bonny I am able to catch them earlier, eat less sugary stuff, and save recovery time.
 
When my glucose is becoming highish, Bonny lets me know too. This has resulted in better glucose control; my HbA1c's are the lowest they have ever been in over 20 years of Diabetes. I catch the highs early enough before ketones set in. 
 
We are in Grade 3 at obedience school and I've taught him a few extra things myself, like food refusal and some non-verbal hand commands. The people at Dover Dog Club are wonderful and I submitted an article about Disability Dogs to the club's bi-monthly newsletter. You will find some photos of Bonny and I on the club's website www.doverdog.org.au
 
Most people want to pat Bonny but see the badge on his coat discouraging this and I explain this further, as they are usually disappointed. We have many Disability dogs in Adelaide for other conditions but as far as I know, Bonny is the first for Type 1 Diabetes.