BeeMD Dogs Bee-Line for BGs
The definition of a buzzing bumblebee - she may be petite, but is always on the go! Bee will eagerly jump in the car for any adventure, whether to the park or grocery shopping. And she will just as eagerly jump into your arms to cuddle for a nap. Her endless enthusiasm means she has no problem keeping up with busy lifestyles and is always keeping a nose out for blood sugars!
Status: RESERVED
Earliest Graduation: June 2024 Training Level: Full Public Access Fundraising Fee: $22,000 |
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About BeeBee is a field bred English Cocker Spaniel, and is the sweetest dog you will find! She adores her people and will bury her head into your arm or on your chest to give 'hugs' as well as jump into your arms the second you give her permission. Her biggest fear in life is disappointing you. While we have yet to ever see her run out of energy, she has no problem settling down to snooze at your feet while watching a movie or working at the computer. Bee gets along with anyone and everyone - she's lived with all sorts of animals like dogs, cats, rats, pheasants, rabbits, guinea pigs, horses, and mules. Bee lives to learn. She adores training and working with her person. Additionally, she is incredibly agile with an impressive level of drive. Along with her scent, obedience, and public access training, Bee has also been started on various canine sports such as Rally Obedience, Barn hunt, and Agility. She enjoys all of these sports, but in particular, she excels at agility. At just about 20lbs, she is going to make someone a very special little Diabetic Alert Dog.
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Imprinting & PuppyhoodBee was born and raised here at MD Dogs. Her mother is MD Dogs' Birdi, so she received Neonatal Scent Imprinting from quite literally the day she was born. From Day 1 we started classically conditioning her to the odor of low blood sugar - she would be separated from Birdi for a few minutes 2x/day while we sprayed low blood sugar odor on her. When reunited, the puppies' instinct was to seek Birdi out immediately, thus seeking out low blood sugar odor. This results in a stronger association than traditional training alone, because Bee's brain is quite literally wired to find low blood sugar odor.
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Public Access TrainingBee was the only puppy MD Dogs retained. After her siblings left she began more traditional Diabetic Alert Dog training, learning obedience cues and being socialized and exposed to the outside world in preparation for life as a Service Dog. Bee will be placed as a fully trained Diabetic Alert Dog, capable of accompanying her handler almost anywhere. She is an eager and confident dog who loves to work! Bee will be fully public access trained at the time of placement and she and her new handler will pass an MD Dogs Public Access Test prior to graduation.
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Scent TrainingWhile Bee was imprinted on low blood sugar odor from birth, she also has received traditional scent training on top of that. This ensures that she has the best foundation possible and we have maximized her future alerting accuracy. Traditional scent raining involves using scent samples and teaching the dog a specific behavior to perform when they detect the low blood sugar, regardless of the handler's position, physical location, or distractions around them. Bee has also been trained to use a scent wheel and find the low blood sugar among in range blood sugars, to demonstrate her understanding of exactly what thresholds to alert to. When Bee completes her training she will be alerting to live low blood sugars of 80mg/dL and below using a firm nose nudge alert behavior. Once she is matched with a handler, during her remaining months in training her alerts will be customized - she can be taught high blood sugar alerts with a specific threshold, have a bringsel alert added to her nose nudge, or be taught a doorbell alert from the crate or car. These additions are all included in her training.
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Health Testing & TitlesAll MD Dogs fully trained Diabetic Alert Dogs have passed their health testing requirements to demonstrate they are capable of being full public access DADs with no physical limitations and low risk of developing conditions such as Hip Dysplasia which may cause them to retire early. Bee has passed her health testing with flying colors. Her PennHIP scores were 0.37 for the left hip and 0.38 for the right hip - both scores are well below the breed average, meaning they have very little laxity for the breed and she is at lower risk than others for developing osteoarthritis. Additionally, her hip radiographs were sent to OFA and received preliminary score of "Good". Genetically, Bee also comes from fully health tested parents, further minimizing the risk of genetic conditions. As for titles, Bee has tested and passed the American Kennel Club's Canine Good Citizen and Canine Good Citizen Advanced tests (CGC and CGCA), and those titles are pending now. Before graduating she will receive the CGCU as well.
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What Makes Us Different?Before our dogs graduate, they must pass a variety of tests based on the level of training they need to achieve. Most of these tests will be recorded and provided to the handler as evidence to provide transparency of the dog's progress and proficiency prior to being placed in their home. At any point before placement, if the potential match is not pleased with the progress, the contract can be cancelled and funds will be returned. Below are Bee's tasks for graduation:
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Her Perfect HumanBee's perfect match would be someone looking for a portable Diabetic Alert Dog who is eager to please and is always at their feet, ready for the next adventure - whether it's a hike up a mountain or trip to switch the laundry. Bee wants to be her human's shadow, and that's what makes her an excellent Diabetic Alert Dog. In a perfect world, Bee's handler would also be looking for a sport dog, especially for activities like agility because Bee has an absolute blast in agility class, but that's not a requirement as our first priority is finding a type 1 diabetic who will love Bee for her enthusiasm and tiny tornado tendencies. Bee does not have any age requirements for her handler, or geographical requirements other than they will need to be in the United States or Canada due to transition training requirements.
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Videos of Bee
Updated Public Access video and Obedience videos COMING SOON!
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Is Bee the right fit for you?
Send us an application! In addition to the application, you'll be asked to complete our online course to learn more about the training the dogs go through and the upkeep that's required after you receive a Diabetic Alert Dog from us, as our goal is complete transparency. Once you've completed the application and the online class, we'll email you to see if Bee is the right fit! And if you have any questions before completing the application or course, feel free to reach out!
