For people living with insulin-dependent diabetes, energy is spent on keeping themselves alive and healthy every moment of the day. Lauren Matthews’ blood sugar needs to stay in a specific range to avoid organ damage, coma or worse. There are tools to help, but technology has regularly been outperformed by a special tool — a dog’s nose. For Lauren, it’s Canine Companions Medical Alert Dog Popcorn.
By smelling her changing blood sugar from her sweat and breath, Popcorn lets Lauren know there’s a problem before she’s out of range — 20-30 minutes faster than any sensors and monitors can.
In 2025, our family grew! We merged with Early Alert Canines, expanding our expertise to include life-saving service dogs for people with insulin-dependent diabetes. Over 2 million people in the U.S. live with Type 1 diabetes and could benefit from the life-saving skills of a service dog.
“Diabetes impacts everything,” Lauren shares. “It’s like walking a tightrope. If you give too much insulin, you’ll die within hours. Too little, and you’d die in a matter of months. Using the technology – like insulin, pumps and continuous blood glucose monitors – is living on life support.”
With Popcorn’s keen nose for keeping her blood sugar in range, Lauren and her husband, Nick, a Canine Companions client with Hearing Dog TJ, recently welcomed a baby boy – a significant achievement for a woman with Type 1 diabetes.
“My high-risk obstetrician couldn’t believe that my blood glucose level was basically normal for my whole pregnancy,” Lauren says. “Popcorn made it possible for us to have a family.”