Pretzel: A Diabetic Alert Dog for Julia Duprey

Hello!! I would like to introduce you to my new Diabetic Alert Dog named Pretzel. She is approximately 14 months old. We attended our service dog training class all of this week and we graduated on Friday. She is extremely well behaved. We are heading out to the airport today and she will go live on our farm.  Eventually she will attend UMass Amherst with me. I am extremely excited to bring her home with me and begin the rest of our lives. 

Please let me know if you have any questions or comments. 

Here is the link to

Her Facebook page. https://www.facebook.com/101592217984658/posts/433681591442384/?d=n&substory_index=0

Here is the link to her Instagram. 

https://instagram.com/pretzelthediabeticalertdog?utm_medium=copy_link

Here is the link to the service dog graduation ceremony. https://www.facebook.com/101592217984658/posts/433608364783040/?d=n

Lastly, here is the link to the GoFundMe. https://gofund.me/2b470b49 The service dog company encouraged us to keep fundraising for the time being. 

Thank you for all of your support!! Please note: the other fundraising link has expired and GoFundMe said I cannot accept funds on it anymore. 


As of August 8th, 2021 I have raised quite a bit of money but I am still looking to raise a bit more to cover vet bills, food bills, toys and etc. I don’t want anyone to  feel obligated to donate, especially if you already have. Sharing is enough.
*
My name is Julia Nicholas Duprey. I am 21 years old and live in Western Massachusetts on a sheep farm with my parents. I am a community college student. I was born with a neurological condition called hydrocephalus which has caused many academic and other challenges. I had several brain surgeries in my first few years of life.  Also, when I just was six years old, I was diagnosed with Type 1 diabetes. Both of these conditions cause a huge amount of stress.

I am using this GoFundMe site to raise money to get a Diabetic Alert Dog to help me manage my diabetes, increase my independence, and improve my quality of life. Here's why I want a service dog, how it will help me, and why I am asking for support. Diabetic Alert Dogs (DADs) are specially trained service animals that help alert people that their blood sugar is either too low or too high. These dogs are professionally trained official service dogs recognized by the ADA. Many diabetics report a great sense of freedom and relief once they get a service dog. 

Having Type 1 diabetes is a vicious cycle. Although my insulin pump continuously pumps insulin through my body, some days hundreds of units of insulin won’t bring my blood sugar back down, other days I eat the equivalent of a six-course meal and still don’t have enough sugar in my body to bring my blood sugar back up. I have had many sleepless nights struggling to get my blood sugar to properly stabilize creating long days and nights of worry.  Living with diabetes puts me in a near-constant state of anxiety trying to monitor blood sugar levels, even though I have a continuous blood sugar monitor as it doesn’t always warn me in time to balance my blood sugar level. 

Now, as I look toward my future, I would like to get a Diabetic Alert Dog to help me monitor my blood sugar levels, ease my anxiety, and increase my independence. However, unfortunately, these dogs are not covered by insurance and getting one costs a lot of money. To get a dog from the CARES program in Kansas, I will need to pay up to $5,000 for the dog, as well as travel costs for me and my mother to go to Kansas to train with the dog. I strongly believe that owning a diabetic alert dog will increase the quality of my life. 


Your support means the world to me and I will be forever in your debt! Thank You!