We are trying to raise funds for Hypo Hounds, a charity who helped us train our diabetic alert dog Teddy who looks after our 8 year old daughter and gives her back the freedom other children of her age have.

Teddy is a real life saver and he gives our daughter the freedom to be like other children, this in turn means her brother has freedom to play with her and her friends. Teddy our diabetic alert dog tells us when her levels are dropping and rising so we can stop them going in to the danger zone. T1 diabetes is a daily battle to keep levels safe because when they are out of range this can cause long term health complications and also if dangerously low or high can cause immediate life threatening risks. Type 1 diabetes is a daily battle as all of the following affect levels sickness, exercise even a short walk or just jumping on the trampoline things other children take for granted, weather, stress, excitement basically everything a child does. My daughter also has a type where she is sensitive to insulin so she rises and drops very fast making it very hard to control. Without teddy she would not have as much freedom. Teddy goes along with our daughter to her sports and everywhere she goes and alerts us when she needs treatment. Teddy has alerted to Phoebe from approximately 300 meters away when we were on holiday and gave her freedom to play without us by her side.

WHEN WE TOOK PHOEBE SKATING FOR THE FIRST TIME, WE DID ALL THE NORMAL CHECKS, SHE WENT ON THE ICE WITH HER DAD AND WAS REALLY GOOD AND LOVED IT BUT TED STARTED WHINNING LOUDLY SO WE GOT HER OFF THE ICE, SHE WAS 2.2 THIS IS DANGEROULSY LOW NORMALLY WE GIVE HER 3 GLUCO TABS SHE WAS CRASHING SO FAST, SHE WAS REFUSING TREATMENT, WE GAVE HER 6 GLUCOTABS AND A CAN OF COKE WHICH IS WAY OVER WHAT SHE NORMALLY HAS THIS JUST BROUGH HER LEVELS BACK UP. IF WE HAD NOT HAD TEDDY THIS COULD HAVE BEEN FATAL.

Teddy akert to Phoebe weekly at gym giving her so much more freedom whilst giving her safe. He waits in the next room and when he alerts we go and check her and treat her. There are many many many more stories these are just two he alerts to her when with her all day aprox 15 time a day.

It costs at least £8,0000 to train a diabetic alert dog. We are looking to help fundraise for a local charity to train the next diabetic alert dog in training so they too can go on to become a qualified diabetic alert dog and keep their partner safe on a daily basis and give them the freedom that teddy gives our daughter and her whole family.

We have been helped to train Teddy with the help of a new local charity but they rely purely on public donations. Teddy is fully qualified but we still receive support and training for teddy from the charity as they support us until teddy is unable to do his job anymore. I would like to try and raise funds for the next diabetic alert dog in training so that dog can support its partner and give them and their family the freedom that teddy gives us and our family.

For more information on what this fanastic charity does please visit their page http://www.hypohounds.co.uk