Kenden was diagnosed with type 1 diabetes Oct 29, 2009 at age 8. We were blessed to find KC through a friend who went through her to get her son a Diabetic Alert Dog. KC helped us find & train Sugar. Since bringing Sugar home, she has alerted Kenden to his low and high blood sugars. That first alert brought tears to my eyes; I thought to myself "What a blessing! Kenden has someone to watch over him." I can't imagine life without Sugar or KC. They are both true angels.
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Michelle
Mother to Kenden, Age 11
D.A.D. - Sugar
Santaquin, Utah
I was guided to try to get help from KC from another trainer that was trying to help me self-train a Goldendoodle I had gotten on my own. She spent 2 days working with me one-on-one, and ultimately I made the call that he just wasn't going to work as a Diabetic Alert Dog. I attended a workshop/seminar she helped put on, and really felt the sincerity she puts into everything she does. I put my name down on the list for one of her puppies. For me, putting my faith and hope in someone else picking the "right" puppy for me has never happened before. Waiting for the announcement of which pup was going to which person was driving me absolutely nuts. When the choice was made and I picked Bailey up, I wasn't sure I would be up to the high drive dog that was chosen for me, a partially disabled grandmother raising her 4 yr old grandson with autism symptoms showing up. Bailey was chosen because she was quick learning, high drive, and listened well. I was very worried nonetheless. I know now, with her at 4 months of age, that she made the right choice for me. Bailey will lie quietly at my feet, in my lap, in the car, or wherever I need her to be, and I don't have to worry about chasing a wild puppy around. She is definitely high energy and high drive, but it is just the right balance I can work with. KC is, and will be my "go to" trainer for all questions and help I need.
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Laura
D.A.D. - Bailey
Parachute, Colorado
I met KC for the first time at a DAD workshop in Mississippi. Out of all the trainers, there was something very special about KC. I took what I learned from the workshop and trained Chloe. When I felt like I was "stuck" with Chloe and her training, I contacted KC and flew out from Georgia to Utah to get more training. I have taken what I have learned from KC and have completely trained Chloe to be a day and night time alerter for my daughter. KC is a blessing to my family!
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Jennifer
Mother to Cheryth, Age 8
D.A.D. - Chloe
Griffin, Georgia
At a conference in Utah, KC helped Lucas and I start developing an alert using an Easy Button. She also spent some quality time just talking to me to ease some of my worries about training Lucas. She has been helpful over email as well. I consider her a new friend and hope to get my next dog from her.
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Michelle
D.A.D. - Lucas
Auburn, Washington
I had been researching Diabetic Alert Dogs for 3 years and was on a list to get a dog from an organization. I had been on the list for a while. I read everything DAD related and training related I could get my hands on. At this point I had just about decided that I wanted to train my own dog, so that I could have the bonding process.
I was going to a DAD conference in MS to learn more and to take more notes and learn all I could. Rachel (a lady who worked at the kennel where the conference was being held) and I had been talking on the phone a lot. She called me one very stormy night in April 2011 and told me that she knew I was researching dog breeds and she knew of someone she wanted me to meet. She said "I think I have found a blessing for you."
When I called her back she told me about KC and gave me her phone number. When I called and talked to KC for the first time ever, we were on the phone for about 3 hours. KC had some lab puppies that she had been scent imprinting since they were born. They were about 7 weeks old at this time and already alerting to low blood sugars.
I was not really prepared for a puppy at that point, but I really connected with KC. She was easy to talk to, and she understood that although I was not a dog trainer, I still really needed a DAD. She also lives with diabetes, so she really understood what life is like for me. I found out she was not only coming to the DAD conference in MS, but she was also going to be teaching at it. We talked several more times over the next few weeks, and on Mother's Day weekend, I met KC and Charlie.
Charlie was a 9 week old chocolate lab puppy. It was love at first sight. He ran to me and crawled into my lap and snuggled. The very first night I had Charlie in my hotel room, he woke me and my blood sugar was low. THE VERY FIRST NIGHT. KC was very supportive and always available for questions, comments and frustrations throughout his training.
Charlie grew big. Much bigger than any of the other pups in his litter. He was 90lbs! I am hard to wake, so I guess he grew big because he needed to, to wake me up. I work in a children's hospital, so Charlie went everywhere with me but work. He went to the grocery stores and out to restaurants. He went to Utah with me to a medical conference and to Disney world with my family and I. He was always easy going and didn't get upset. He took new experiences in stride. He was scheduled to take his PAT test in July so that he could then go to work with me also. He was a wonderful dog and an even better DAD. He kept my blood glucose between 80-130.
The week before mothers day this year Charlie had been playing in the back yard with my oldest son catching a ball. When he came in, he got a drink and came to lay by my side. He continued to pant after about 10 minutes, so I had my son get him another bowl of water but he wouldn't get up. When I took him by the collar he kept falling on his back end. I thought he had hurt his hip or leg and I called my vet. It was closing time, but my Dr. agreed to see us and waited for us to arive. Charlie could not get into my car and I had to lift him out when we got there. He managed to walk, but his backside was very unsteady and wobbly.
Once inside he had diarrhea all over the front office; his stool had been normal earlier that day. The Dr. looked at him, ran some tests, told me that he thought he had a bad stomach bug, and gave Charlie some medicine. I was to bring him back in the morning and call if I was worried. He told me to expect more diarrhea. A few hours later Charlie got much worse. I called my vet and he came in to the clinic to meet me. I live in a smaller town and the office is not 24 hours. Charlie was very sick and my vet worked on him doing x-rays, giving him fluids and iv antibiotics, and drawing blood tests and cultures. Charlie had been unconscious for a long time. When he woke up, he crawled to my lap a few feet away and pulled my bringsel to alert me that my blood sugar was low. Then he went back to sleep and died a few hours later.
It was a horrible and painful loss. KC checked on me all through this time, trying to comfort me and make sure I was OK. She has since called and text many, many times to check on me. KC will help me when I am ready for a new DAD. She is a true friend.
Charlie died of HGE, and no known cause could be found.
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Melisa
D.A.D. - Charlie (2011-2012)
Jonesboro, Arkansas
Two dates will stick in my mind forever; the first date is the day the Dr. told me "Your daughter has Type 1 Diabetes." And the second day was when a 7 week old puppy looked into my daughter's eyes as if to say "Check your sugar please." She checked, and she was low.. I could not believe it. Most days I am still in awe of how this animal could be so sensitive as to smell when my daughter's sugars wander out of range or when she has too much insulin on board. He watches over her every night and wakes us up before she gets too low. Countless times our DAD "Fudge" has saved my daughter's life. How do you say thank you enough? For him, it's a pat on his head and a treat; for me, it is a tear of thankfulness that rolls down my cheek.
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Trista
Mother to Kailey, Age 15
D.A.D. - Fudge
Las Vegas, Nevada
I began my DAD journey with a DAD organization in 2009. In April of 2010, I brought home a 6 week old scent imprinted puppy named Abbie's Saved By Grace (Gracie). Scent training came easy for Gracie; however, obedience training proved to be a challenge. After exhausting all obedience training methods recommended by our breeder, I contacted KC. KC and I had met at the beginning of my DAD journey, and we had become fast friends. KC openly shared her training expertise and taught me to think "outside the box". She helped me realize that each dog was different. Training methods that worked with one dog did not always work with another dog. I realized it was okay to explore different training tools. The methods and tools KC shared helped me mold Gracie into the amazing DAD she is today.
KC is a part of our family. She puts her heart and soul into every puppy she raises. I've watched her sacrifice her own health to work real time lows with a litter of puppies. Her puppies not only get scent sample training, they get to work her real time highs and lows. She invests time into matching the right puppy with the right people. The DAD owner becomes a part of her extended family.
Relationships are very important to KC. She builds relationships with the dog and the owners. She does not give up on dogs or people when they have problems. KC is devoted and goes the distance to help and think outside the box until a solution to the problem is found. She will be there to help you throughout your DAD journey.
I currently have a pup from KC's last DAD litter, Tattle Tail's Express Hot Choco-Lottie (Lottie). Lottie is a very high spirited pup. She is very eager to please and requires only a soft correction. I can't wait to see the amazing DAD she will grow into.
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Shana
Mother to Abbie, Age 8
D.A.D. - Gracie
D.A.D. - Lottie
Colorado Springs, Colorado
I have known KC since 1999. She was my lifesaver when my husband and I got a chocolate lab that he wanted to train to hunt ducks with. Sequoia was an amazing dog and a great family and hunting dog. As years went by and life happened our paths separated for awhile due to my husband returning to school to become a dentist. Life, school and raising a child took the place of hunting and training for many years.
This leads to our new journey with KC. While she was dealing with her Diabetes in Utah, we were dealing with a son who has life threatening food allergies to eggs, peanuts, tree nuts, and shellfish out in Michigan. She was working with Diabetic scent, and I needed a dog for my son who could find food scents. Enter Luna. Luna is our KC puppy. She is our little miracle. At 6 months old (which she is right now) she is consistently alerting to peanuts in public while being handled by my 10 year old son. This beautiful little chocolate brown lab has amazed all of us at how fast she learns and how she is so driven to work. She sees her vest and gets so excited! If she gets out the front door she immediately runs to the door of the car to go out and work.
The other day we were at Wal-Mart and as we walked down the seasonal isle she came to a screeching halt, sat and gave us her soul staring look that my son and I know means she found something with peanuts in it. She does this with no commands on her own at 6 months old! So as usual I begin looking and reading labels and cannot find anything that has peanuts in it. There are bottles of Gatorade, paper plates, that sort of thing, but nothing even made in a plant with peanuts. So I bend down to look some more and notice at the very back of the bottom shelf there is one Easter Reese's peanut butter egg cup that has fallen at the very back of the shelf.
This is only one of the many times that Luna has found things that we cannot see. She has more scents to learn and she is so driven, devoted, and absolutely loves working so I know she will be as focused on those as she is peanuts. She is being dragged all over the place by my son and she loves every minute of it. KC has been just a lifesaver for us with this puppy and all the help and guidance she has given us. Her knowledge and understanding of dogs is unlike anyone I have ever met.
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Kate
A.D. - Luna
In March of 2009 my then 4 year old daughter Abbie, was diagnosed with type 1 diabetes, this diagnosis came on the coat tails of another devastating diagnosis in December 2008. Our world was forever changed in that moment. In the first two years of Abbie’s diagnosis I searched endlessly for a program that would allow us to bring a DAD into our home, between the high costs and the age requirements that many of them had, we were left hopeless. In June of 2012 we had the privilege of meeting KC and discussing the idea of bringing a DAD into our home, we were so excited to make this dream a reality.
On July 7th, 9 incredible puppies came into this world, amongst them, our D.A.D. and miracle Hope. I dreamed up ideas of how Hope would change our lives and what she would be capable of. ‘The reality, she is far more incredible than I could have ever imagined. Hope began alerting immediately after bringing her home and hasn’t stopped since. One of her most incredible and emotional alerts came when Hope was about 10 weeks old. At 2 A.M. she woke my husband and I up alerting low. We tested Abbie and Hope was right, 72 with another 5 hours before she would be tested again. Hope saved Abbie’s life that night, as well as changing mine. While her alerts have become second nature, they are no less incredible and humbling, I often find myself in tears at Hope’s devotion to Abbie and keeping her safe. She is constantly pushing the lines of what I thought was possible.
Hope is so full of life, and has an incredible personality. She loves to be involved in anything we do and can often be found with the kids. She always knows when someone is hurting and loves to give kisses and to curl up on your lap. She has a huge fascination with the blow dryer and can be expected in the bathroom within seconds of turning it on. One of her favorite games is baseball, she loves to get the ball and “tag” the runner. She has brought so much joy into our family from her constant smiles and energetic personality.
While diabetes changed our lives, stealing so much from us; Hope gave us a piece of that life back. She helped us to have peace of mind and the hope that comes from knowing she has made Abbie’s life better. Hope has become our best friend; our companion, our hero and our Tattle Tail. KC gives each and every one of these puppies an amazing amount of care and devotion, as well as the families that need these incredible angels. It is through her hard work and dedication that our life has been so positively impacted. We are so grateful that we have been able to take this journey with KC, and to be a part of the Tattle Tails family.
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Katie
Mother to Abbie, age 8
D.A.D. – Hope
Springville, Utah
Before Jenny my blood sugars were low 33% of the time! They are now low only 9% of the time!
THANK YOU KC, Jenny is the best Tattletail ever!
Janet
D.A.D. - Jenny
Loveland, CO