What is the ideal diabetes service animal? Think beyond the obvious and be creative in explaining why your choice is a good one. For example, maybe a seal would make a good service animal - it flaps its flippers and barks every time you get a good blood sugar reading!
Hoppy would make an excellent service animal.
He's my daughter's stuffed rabbit. She has fallen asleep with Hoppy in her arms every night of her life. As she sees it, Hoppy is a nocturnal rabbit who stays up all night watching over her while she sleeps.
What could be better than to train Hoppy and his many peers as diabetes service animals?
Imagine the training class. An educator is surrounded by a circle of teddy bears, stuffed dogs, cats, cows, and frogs. Perhaps there's an American Girl Doll, or a Barbie. They spend time discussing signs and symptoms of hypoglycemia in the children they love. They're all schooled in glucometer use, parameters for treatment of high and low blood sugars and how to administer glucagon.
Who could be more suitable for this job? Except for the rare time he's accidentally thrown on the floor, Hoppy is at my daughter's side all night. His primary purpose in life is to look out for her while she sleeps. He has a tough job already, don't get me wrong. He's responsible for soothing the anxieties of a middle-schooler after a long day. Further back in his job description, he's been in charge of closet monsters, bad dreams, thunderstorms, the dark, and a myriad of other concerns.
Yet as a best-loved toy, his dedication to his owner knows no bounds. It's time to set up some training sessions for Hoppy and his peers.
I could definitely go back to sleeping with a stuffed animal if it was trained as a diabetes service animal!! Love it!
ReplyDeleteI envisioned Buzz and Woody teaching the class! I wrote a recent post about the new Jerry The Bear educational toy for kids with diabetes, and in it, I touched on Winnie The Pooh & The Velveteen Rabbit. Surely these are the most loyal friends any of us ever have. Great post!
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