Thank you for your interest in our Medical-Alert Service Dogs. To get started, please review the minimum criteria and our 10 Step Program.
MINIMUM ELIGIBILITY CRITERIA
- You must live within a 3-hour drive of our Nylabone Training Center in Concord, CA. For those living outside this area, please visit Assistance Dogs International to find accredited providers near you.
- You must be 12 years old to be placed with a Medical-Alert Service Dog. We do provide Diabetes Buddy Dogs for children under 12.
- You must be a non-smoker and live in a smoke-free environment. This includes marijuana smoking and any kind of vaping.
- You must be insulin-dependent for a minimum of 12 months before submitting your application.
- You are proactively managing your diabetes and insulin treatment under the guidance of your doctor and are physically capable and willing to handle a large service dog.
D4D’S 10 STEPS TO RECEIVING A MEDICAL-ALERT SERVICE DOG
In our mission to ethically provide Medical-Alert Service Dogs for diabetics, D4D takes rigorous steps to unite clients and dogs. The following summarizes our 10 Step Program:
- Watch a Pre-Application Workshop (PAWS). This video will give you an overview of the program. Please watch and take the quiz to receive an application.
- Complete the Application. Our application requires references, a medical questionnaire completed by your doctor, and 3-months of blood sugar logs. Please contact our Programs Coordinator with questions about the application.
- Interview with us. We invite you to a day-long workshop that includes a personal interview at our Nylabone Training Center.
- Home visit. A trainer will ask to come into your home, meet your family, and get a better sense of your lifestyle and needs.
- Train with us. You will be asked to commit to D4D’s comprehensive 100-hour training program. Those under 18 years of age are required to attend all trainings with a parent.
- Temporary placement. You and the dog will develop a process to detect your low and high blood sugars, working towards the NICST standard of 80% detection.
- Permanent placement & Graduation. Once the goal of 80% has been confirmed with data, the dog will be permanently placed with you under NICST’s terms of placement. We celebrate our teams’ hard work and commitment with friends and family.
- Post-placement. We are available to help resolve any issues as they may arise and will provide continued support for the working life of your dog. Your training doesn’t stop after placement.
- Annual recertification. You are required to recertify as a working team each year.
- Welcome to the NICST Family! We have other programs to support you in managing your diabetes.
Want to keep track of where you are in the process? Download a summary of D4D’s 10 Step Program.