April Reno, center, and her family are trying to raise money to get a diabetic alert dog for her two children, Tonya and Brian, both of whom have Type 1 diabetes. 

A family in Warrior is on a waiting list for an animal that could very well save the lives of their children.

Charles and April Reno are working to get a diabetic alert dog from Service Dogs by Warren Retrievers (SDWR) in Virginia.

Their 12-year-old twins, Brian and Tonya, both have Type 1 diabetes, which means the pancreas does not produce insulin; insulin is a hormone needed to allow sugar into cells to produce energy.

Brian was diagnosed when he was 2 years old and Tonya was diagnosed when she was 8. Six years later when Tonya developed some of the same symptoms, Reno said she knew what was wrong.

“I could see the symptoms and I knew she had it,” said Reno.

Since that time, both children constantly wear an insulin pump, even when they are asleep. Their blood sugar meter is their lifeline; they check their levels eight times a day.

“It is scary for me. I have a different life than most mothers,” said Reno. “I’m up every two hours, every night, to check their blood sugar. I pray every night that they will wake up in the morning. It’s so dangerous. That’s why a dog means freedom for us.”

The Reno family first saw a diabetic alert dog in January at Wal-Mart in Gardendale; until then they had never heard of a service dog for diabetics. Reno approached the dog’s owner, a woman who gave them details and information about how to learn more.

“From the moment we saw the face of that service dog, we saw so much hope for our children to have a more independent life,” said Reno.

The woman with the dog, Julia Wildman of Gardendale, was diagnosed with Type 1 diabetes at age 5. She said her service dog, Maggie, has given her a new level of independence.

Until she got the dog, Wildman always had to make sure a family member or friend was in the house at night, because she had dangerous blood sugar lows and highs at night. Now, Wildman is able to travel with work and is no longer afraid to sleep alone in hotels.

In April, the Reno family called SDWR and was placed to a waiting list. In May, they began fund-raising. The dog costs $25,000. They must have half of the cost up front before the dog is delivered. So far, they have raised just over $4,500.

“These dogs can be a lifeline,” said Dan Warren, founder of SDWR. “We train these dogs to not only detect high and low blood sugar, but also to get third-party support if needed and to retrieve supplies and other items.”

The dogs can even call 911 on a special device if their owners become unresponsive, he said.

The cost of the dogs includes home delivery of the animals and 18 months of “comprehensive but custom-tailored family training,” said Warren.

The dogs will alert 20-45 minutes before a person’s blood sugar goes too high or too low, which Warren said can happen very quickly.

“We want to help prevent these extreme blood sugar fluctuations,” said Warren. “Many parents worry about going in to check on their child and the child is non-responsive due to low blood sugar.”

Reno said both of her children have hypoglycemic unawareness, which means they can not tell when their blood sugar gets too low.

For Brian and Tonya, the target blood sugar level is 120, but it is considered OK if it is 80-180. Their levels have spiked in the 500s and have dropped as low as 25 for Brian and 32 for Tonya.

“That’s one of the reasons we want to get our dog,” Reno said.

To help raise money, the family is hosting fund-raisers, including a donor drive Dec. 19-20 at Pet Depot in Cullman from 9 a.m. to 4 p.m.

They are also selling raffle tickets for $5 each for a $1,000 cash prize. The drawing is on Dec. 20. Call Reno at 259-3904 to buy raffle tickets or for more information.

To learn more, visit the family’s Facebook page: “Brian and Tonya’s Journey to bring home their diabetic alert dog-SDWR” or visit www.sdwr.org.

In addition, Wildman is also fund-raising to finish paying for Maggie. Learn more about her story on Facebook at “Julia’s Diabetic Alert Dog.”