Medical Alerts From My Service Dogs

I'm very lucky in that I have two current service dogs that perform medical alerts. They alert me to changes in my physical condition so I can take actions to try to mitigate those changes. This just happened a little while ago...

First medical alert, from Penny.

Penny exhibits a very specific behavior change with her medical alerts.

The second, and corresponding medical alert from Malcolm just a few minutes later, who also does balance and mobility assist.

Malcolm was trained to do a paw touch for his medical alerts.

So for all the doctors who say "it's just in your head" SCREW YOU!!! Tell that to my service dogs... They've NEVER been wrong.

What's amazing is that both dogs will consistently alert within a few minutes of each other. Sometimes Penny alerts first, sometimes Malcolm alerts first. But they both alert within a few minutes of each other. It still amazes me...

I'm so incredibly lucky because these two are my second and third service dogs, out of three total service dogs I've trained and handled for myself, that perform medical alerts. My first service dog (now passed away from old age and cancer) also performed medical alerts. I don't know how I got so lucky to have all three of my service dogs perform medical alerts. The medical alerts for me can't be trained, they had to start naturally. I'm not even sure what exactly they are picking up on that they're alerting to. This is unlike a diabetic alert dog, for example, who is trained to the actual physical scents of low and high blood sugar blood samples. So it's extra amazing that all three of my service dogs have done medical alerting for me.

My first service dog Fawkes and Malcolm have also both also clearly performed medical alerts for other people as well. That's also very awesome too!