Stand back we've got a servant dog working here!

The scariest thing about having a child with Type-1 Diabetes is the constant reality that one simple mistake can cost her life. Which is why we are arming ourselves with every tool we can to make things a little easier. Buttons being one of those. Despite the high price tag on a Diabetic Alert Dog, Buttons may have justified that investment tenfold today.

Bella and I walked to Mason's school today to pick him up. As we were packing (yes, with T-1D you have to literally pack a bag to walk 5 blocks) I suggested we leave Buttons at the house. Bella insisted that he come. So I let Buttons outside to attend to any 'business' that may avoid an embarrassing school yard scene. Ok, I've got five minutes to kill. So I check BG just to be sure and Bella is 144, good number for her. We let Buttons in and we're off to the school.

After a ten minute walk we're at the school. Bella spends some time on the playground and finally 2:30 rolls around and we get Mason. The kids want to play some more before we head home. I give Buttons some water, he gets a ton of new fans from all the kids getting out of school. Bella and Mason keep playing. Buttons got one new fan in particular, probably a second grader, who followed us around announcing "We've got a 'servant dog' working here, nobody touch. I repeat Buttons is working!"

Buttons is surrounded by a sea of young admirers and all of a sudden he turns to me with a hard paw to the thigh and focuses on Bella who is probably 300 yards away with her brother. I ask "do we need to check" and he starts literally hopping off of all fours.  I round up the kids, find a place to check, open up the bag and...NO TEST KIT!!! I didn't put it back in the pack before we left.  Buttons is very addled  by this point and keeps pawing and nudging me. I go with my gut that we're low from the heat, running and excitement and give a juice box and fruit snacks. 32g of carbs, it should only take 15g to bring her up but I erred on the side of caution. She is acting fine at this point and we start the 5 block journey home, I didn't want to be stuck out without her testing supplies. We get about a block and Bella starts stumbling. We wait a second, she says she just tripped and she feels good. About a half a block later she falls in the street. I pick her up and start speed walking with Buttons, the supplies and a screaming 3 year old. As my 2 blown discs are starting to feel it, Bella starts talking nonsense and slurring her words, I can feel her head nodding into my shoulder. I've seen this before. I ask her to keep talking to me (something I don't ask of my children much) and walk faster. Poor Mason is lagging behind and has no clue what is happening. I get home and check and Bella is 87 after the 32g of carbs she had 20 minutes earlier.

I have no clue how low she was at the playground because of my boneheaded T-1 brain lapse, but I do know that Buttons let me know that something was wrong in time for me to fix it. Judging from her behavior after treating he very well may have actually saved her life today. Even though we haven't raised all of the money for Button's training yet, I would find a way to pay a million dollars for this dog if I had to.