Cathy Benton, a Croton-on-Hudson resident has been a diabetic for 43 years. In September she launched a Go Fund Me campaign to help her get a diabetic alert dog. She was able to get enough from the campaign to get the dog, which she aptly named Kismet, but now she continues to need to raise money in order to train it.
Benton is working online with two diabetic alert dog organizations to get her 8-month-old Lab the proper scent training to monitor her blood levels better than Benton can do for herself. "She is doing well," Benton said. "However, her obedience and socialization training are costly. Thus far she has only completed basic training. I used what funds I had raised to get the dog, pay for shots, and begin her training."
This special dog could save her life.
"This has had a severe impact on my life. I no longer live alone, I have had problems at work, and difficulty on a daily basis keeping my levels within a good range even though I test many times throughout the day," Cathy writes. "I seldom travel alone anymore as I fear something happening should I fail to notice a severe drop in my blood sugar level in time."
She even shares some research on what these dogs do for folks in her situation.
Cathy welcomes any support and is still accepting donations. She has so far received $525 toward her goal of $3,000.
"My end goal, after she is fully trained, is to help other diabetics in the area to benefit from working and living with a Diabetic Alert Dog," Benton said.
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