This is NUTS!
I truly couldn’t be more blessed to have my Tattle Tail, Dante, by my side.
I was born with a nut allergy, but it wasn’t until a few years ago that it became severe—and airborne. Not long after learning that, I landed in the hospital with anaphylactic shock after unknowingly eating food containing peanut oil. From that point on, I became hyper-aware of everything I ate, terrified of another reaction. It took a serious mental toll on my family and I. We knew I couldn’t live like that forever, and there had to be a better way.
That’s when KC stepped in.
She knew a breeder, Dave, who raises Chesapeake Bay Retrievers specifically for service work. She had worked with him before, helping to place pups as seizure-alert dogs. But she warned me: “Chesapeakes aren’t for the weak. They’ll test you every step of the way.” Even so, she believed I could handle it. And for the first time in a while, I felt hope. Hope that maybe I could go to college, regain my independence, and finally feel like a normal person again.
We visited the breeder together. During the puppy testing, one little pup refused to take cheese from KC—until she handed the treat to me. He ate it right away. KC looked at me and said, “That’s your dog.”
And she was right.
Dante has been by my side for over a year now. Through the successes, the struggles, the embarrassing moments, and the belly-laughs—I wouldn’t trade a second of it. And I wouldn’t have made it here without KC, who has been with me for all the ups and downs. She’ll never let you fail—as long as you’re willing to try.
We are Blessed
Just like T1D, Kai was an unexpected sharp right down a path we knew nothing about, but was the most amazing gift. Yes, both T1D and Kai are gifts.
Charlize was diagnosed and in DKA without any warning in 2018. We had three days in the hospital to get our bearings before going home. We were scared. We had so much to learn. And life was never the same, but it was better. We received a phone call about a puppy mid-March 2022 after applying to be considered for DADs for over a year and a half. We had three days to decide because the pups were going home in three weeks! We were scared. We had so much to learn. And life was never the same, but it was better.
Kai is another warrior in Charlize’s arsenal. Just like the dexcom and omnipod. We will always stock her army to help her fight T1D. The reality is though it’s her fight alone at the end of the day. Not mine, not my husband’s. Charlize’s. If she doesn’t live it well. If she doesn’t take care of herself. Then it all comes crashing down. We were on the fence about getting Kai, but Char never once wavered. She wanted a pup. She felt it would give her the freedom to best live her life. To go off to college without having mom and dad so worried in three years. To not be a burden on our family as she sometimes felt. That part broke my heart. That part had us saying, “Yes!”
Kai has always been Charlize’s. Char is her person. Her trainer. Her girl. Her partner.
Kai taught Charlize understanding of T1D. That being low all the time to keep an A1C around 5.0 was not healthy (as her Endo had been trying to tell her and shook her head when a dog finally convinced Char of that).
Kai showed Charlize her strength as a human being. That you have the right to stand up for the rights of others who may not be strong enough to speak up for themselves. To stand up against grown-ups as long as you are articulate and not rude.
Kai gave Charlize freedom to go to college not around the corner. That you can leave home, your parents will worry if you have T1D or not, and be confident that you can do it. That going 3.5 hours away to the University of Delaware and they will be fine and successful.
Kai gave an entire high school of about 3,500 students an education of what a service dog actually is. If you wouldn’t pet someone’s wheel chair you wouldn’t pet her. Educated kids on how to properly ride the bus. Educated teachers that bg numbers really affect the mental state of the person living with T1D. Taught everyone there patience and that you can sit still and pay attention and be alert through double periods of AP Science. Taught that you should never eat food that has fallen on the floor in the cafeteria. Showed even though it’s a huge building you can still make it to class on time even with 4 minutes to get there. Proved that you can sit through an entire nighttime graduation and be the last one called out of 735 students to walk across and receive a diploma and still be awake to enjoy the fireworks all while keeping your girl in range the entire 5 hours.
Kai is the best gift we’ve ever received. Kai not only gave Charlize so much and continues to do so, but also gave us the best Tattle Tail family. People who are unbelievably knowledgeable about T1D and DADs. Who helped us train not only Kai, but our family. Who do not sugar coat anything, but give sound advice and will help dry your tears. Who believe in you. Who build you. Who trust you. Who love you.
We did not just get a service animal for our daughter. We were blessed with a hero. We were blessed with the best family in the world. We are blessed.
— Jaqueline Zulauf
The Davis Family
Davis Tattle Tail Story… still being written
My daughter had just turned a year old when we got the news that would change how we lived life forever. “Your daughter is a Type 1 diabetic which means she’s insulin dependent and will need 24 hour care to help manage her blood sugars.” You always have dreams of what life would be like, the type of parent you’d be and no one or nothing can ever prepare you for these life changing moments. We took on the challenge the best way we could, but having a small child who is constantly growing we knew that the technology was only so reliable and we needed something we could truly count on.
We’d always known we wanted to add a dog to our family as my husband and I had always grown up with them in our homes. We had done research on so many service dog companies and we never felt valued even in the calls to just vet the company. All they wanted was money and didn’t care about our personal story, struggles or concerns. Tattle Tails is the exact opposite! To them, you’re family from the start. They make sure they are up front and honest about the commitment these dogs need and are there every step of the way to make sure both parties are successful. We could never have imagined the true blessing that Pumba and the Tattle Tail family would have on our lives. We drove 8 hours to Utah with our then 2 year old diabetic to meet our new addition. From the first moment we laid eyes on him I knew our lives would never be the same.
From day one the puppies are training with KC who is also a Type 1 diabetic! When we arrived it was AMAZING to see these young puppies already alerting to highs and lows! Seeing this first hand I had goosebumps and couldn’t wait for the journey ahead. KC and the other members behind the scenes, families that have come before us were instrumental in our success.
Our sweet boy is now 3 years old and has saved our girl more times than I can count. He’s alerting well over 30-45 minutes before Dexcom lets me know we have a problem. He has never been wrong. Through all the sickness, the good days and the bad, he is always by her side. Don’t ask me how but he will even alert me while my daughter is at school, miles away! These dogs and the bonds with their people are nothing short of incredible and I will never fully understand it but I thank God every single day that he led us to Tattle Tails, KC, Kristi, the families in this community that have become a part of ours, and of course the boy I love more than words can say.
We will forever be a Tattle Tails family because the peace of knowing our daughter is safe even when her technology fails is something I will never take for granted. We are beyond grateful and blessed to have found Tattle Tails and love watching other families who are just at the beginning of their journey who truly have no idea the incredible journey they are about to embark on!
Thank you KC, Kristi and the entire Tattle Tails family!
— Sydnee, Chris, Aria, Cameron and Pumba
One of the most rewarding experiences of my life has been training my son, Bryson's DAD, Sally. I hadn't had a dog for 40 years and definitely hadn't trained one, nor did I know how to speak dog. Training Sally should have been really easy. She was always eager to learn...sometimes too enthusiastic, but always ready for whatever was thrown at her. All I had to do was follow the amazing instruction given to me by KC. The hardest part was training me! (and the other humans in the family) The hardest times I had, were because of me, not Sally. 3 years in, I can say that we are both well trained and our connection is amazing. Some may ask, "why a diabetic alert dog when technology is so great these days?" The top 2 reason's I share are, 1) Technology fails occasionally and 2) Human's get immune to the alerts of their tech. I wonder sometimes if without Sally telling on her teenage boy for being too high, if he would have experienced DKA? I won't ever know, but I love that she will lay on his head to not be ignored and she will get in my face or anyone's face and stare us down, inching closer and closer to our faces to not be ignored. I can tell you that Sally is 100% responsible for saving Bryson's life twice in the middle of the night by waking me up when our cgm apps were showing no data and he was dropping extremely low. I can tell you that she saved him a few more times in the middle of the night when we have slept through the alerts sent on our phone. She knows the "low alert" and even if she is dead asleep she will wake up to it and get straight in my face to whine and nudge with her nose. So some may ask why a diabetic alert dog? And some may ask, "Is it worth that much money?" Yes, a million times, yes! These dogs save their people trips to the hospital and quite literally save their lives! And just to put the cherry on top, they are silly goofballs that make everyday brighter. The Tattle Tail program let's families bond with their pups as they get trained and that time is the most beautiful gift.
— Dennise Bellerive
Featured Story
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.
Shana, Colorado Springs
Mother to Abbie, Age 8
D.A.D. - Gracie
D.A.D. - Lottie
Learn About Luna
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.
Melissa’s Story
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.
Melissa, Jonesboro Arkansas, D.A.D. - Charlie (2011-2012)
Katie’s Story
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.
Katie, Springvale Utah
Mother to Abbie, Age 8
D.A.D. - Hope
