Custom Trained Diabetic Alert Dog Delivered to 25-Year-Old in Westby, WI

Westby, WI, June 26, 2018 --(PR.com)-- Jeff, a 25-year-old man living in Westby, Wisconsin, received a very special delivery of his very own Diabetic Alert Service Dog from Service Dogs by Warren Retrievers. Based in Madison, Virginia, Service Dogs by Warren Retrievers, or “SDWR,” has a mission to provide specially-bred and trained dogs for people of all ages that struggle with living with invisible disabilities such as Autism, PTSD, Seizure Disorders, or in the case of Jeff—Type 1 Diabetes. In 2017, SDWR reached a milestone of having over 600 service dogs working around the globe. SDWR is currently serving approximately 1,000 families.

Sanchez, a white labrador retriever Diabetic Alert Dog, has already received thousands of hours of training through SDWR’s service dog raiser program where volunteers raise puppies in training for approximately one year. The dogs and raisers must follow through the foundation and skill set training provided through SDWR trainers at the facility in Virginia.

Sanchez is also an honored graduate of the SDWR Fallen Officer Puppy Program. The Fallen Officer Puppy Program, also known as “FOPP,” is an initiative by SDWR to pay respect to the legacy of service by fallen American police who sacrificed their lives in the line of duty. Sanchez is named in honor of fallen Police Officer Jorge Sanchez of the Miami Police Department in Florida who was killed when his police motorcycle was struck by another vehicle. Sanchez’s work as a Diabetic Alert Service Dog with Jeff will carry on in memoriam of Police Officer Sanchez’s life of service before self.

Jeff was diagnosed with Type 1 Diabetes at the age of 16-years-old. Jeff’s family is hoping that with the arrival of Diabetic Alert Dog, Sanchez, it will give them peace of mind knowing their service dog is there to alert them to highs and lows in his blood sugar range.

SDWR uses a proprietary scent training method to teach Diabetic Alert Dogs to detect fluctuations in blood sugar that fall outside of a handler’s healthy range. Since Sanchez is a service dog and covered under laws in accordance with the Americans with Disabilities Act, he will be able to accompany Jeff and his family everywhere—from working on the farm, to grocery shopping, and even while participating in tractor pulls and plowing snow.

During the upcoming 18 months, SDWR will return to Jeff’s home every 3-4 months to continue working on Sanchez’s customized training, follow up training and training the human to make a successful team and public access certification. This certification can only be given to Jeff after a progression of hard work and dedication to the SDWR training program. This training program is what sets SDWR apart from other nonprofit service dog organizations.

Service Dogs by Warren Retrievers is a nonprofit organization based in Madison, Virginia, and relies on donations to help the organization in its mission, “Until there’s a cure…there’s a dog.” To make or donation or learn more about SDWR, please visit the website, www.sdwr.org. To learn more about Diabetic Alert Service Dogs visit www.sdwr.org/service-dogs/diabetic-alert/. To learn more about SDWR’s Fallen Officer Puppy Program visit www.sdwr.org/fallen-officer-puppy-program/.