{"id":8507,"date":"2022-10-19T09:26:50","date_gmt":"2022-10-19T14:26:50","guid":{"rendered":"https:\/\/www.wisconsin.edu\/all-in-wisconsin-new\/?post_type=campus_story&p=8507"},"modified":"2022-10-19T09:27:32","modified_gmt":"2022-10-19T14:27:32","slug":"a-girls-best-friend-incoming-student-and-her-service-dog-are-tiktok-stars","status":"publish","type":"campus_story","link":"https:\/\/www.wisconsin.edu\/all-in-wisconsin\/story\/a-girls-best-friend-incoming-student-and-her-service-dog-are-tiktok-stars\/","title":{"rendered":"A girl\u2019s best friend: Incoming student and her service dog are TikTok stars"},"content":{"rendered":"

\"Photo<\/a><\/p>\n

If you\u2019ve been lucky enough to have a dog, you understand the bonds they form with their humans. They learn our routines and sense our moods. Ever eager to please, they try hard to behave and follow our rules.<\/p>\n

But have you ever been so in tune with a dog that she warned you about having low blood sugar?<\/p>\n

That\u2019s exactly what Abbey Karnes\u2019 service dog, Darby, does for her. The incoming University of Wisconsin-Superior student and her canine companion have built a following of over 2.2 million fans on TikTok. The duo\u2019s entertaining posts help provide awareness about Type 1 diabetes and educate people about life with a service dog.<\/p>\n

\u201cIt\u2019s been so cool to grow a community on TikTok,\u201d Karnes said. She grew up in Grand Rapids, Minnesota, and was diagnosed with Type 1 diabetes at 12. \u201cEverything I knew was turned upside down.\u201d The situation was worsened by the fact that she didn\u2019t have many peers to turn to for advice. \u201cTo be able to be that role model for kids out there is so cool.\u201d<\/p>\n

Karnes used her diagnosis as a means of motivation.<\/p>\n

\u201cI actually am happy it happened to me because it made me a stronger person,\u201d she said. \u201cI don\u2019t want it to stop me from living life the way I want to.\u201d<\/p>\n

Fueled by this determination, Karnes excelled academically and beyond. She acted in plays and performed on the competitive dance team. She started taking Postsecondary Enrollment Option courses at Itasca Community College, earning enough credits for an associate\u2019s degree and more. She earned a presidential scholarship and won a student leadership award.<\/p>\n

Her love of self-expression took on the form of visual arts, from drawing to watercolor painting to henna tattooing. She never thought it could be a career path until one of her professors encouraged her to share her work at the Minnesota College of Art and Design\u2019s Portfolio Day.<\/p>\n

\u201cThat gave me the confidence to pursue this,\u201d Karnes said.<\/p>\n

Karnes decided that after finishing up her general coursework at ICC while living at home, she would pursue a degree in fine arts. She was excited about going to college to live on her own for the first time, but she was also understandably nervous.<\/p>\n

\u201cI was very anxious about having to manage diabetes on my own,\u201d Karnes said. \u201cThere\u2019s a lot of slipups that can happen that are very dangerous.\u201d<\/p>\n

Karnes uses an insulin pump and closely monitors her blood sugar levels to prevent serious complications from hypo- or hyperglycemia.<\/p>\n

\u201cI try to do my best to manage it, but things happen,\u201d she said. \u201cIt can be very exhausting.\u201d<\/p>\n

In search of extra support, Karnes found a solution: service dogs trained to detect high or low blood sugar. Scientists believe dogs can monitor blood sugar levels by smelling chemical changes in our bodies.<\/p>\n

In June 2020, Karnes went to Pawsitive Perspectives Assistance Dogs in Lakeville, Minnesota, for a training camp. She met several dogs, but bonded right away with Darby, a soft, yellow Labrador Retriever with big floppy ears and big brown eyes.<\/p>\n

\"Abbey<\/p>\n

\u201cI came across Darby and fell in love with her,\u201d Karnes said. \u201cDarby seemed really in tune with me.\u201d<\/p>\n

When Karnes went to put Darby in her crate to work with another dog, Darby voiced her protest, to everyone\u2019s surprise.<\/p>\n

\u201cIf you know Darby, she does not bark. Everybody in the room was like, \u2018Darby\u2019s barking?\u2019 That was when everybody knew that we were a pair, that Darby chose me.\u201d<\/p>\n

Darby was two years old at the time, and had already had extensive training to prepare her to become a diabetic alert dog. If she senses Karnes\u2019 blood sugar is too high or low, even from across the house, she will come up to her right away and nudge her leg.<\/p>\n

Karnes will then put out her hand for Dr. Darby Dog\u2019s diagnosis.<\/p>\n

\u201cShe\u2019ll either bump it up with her nose for \u2018high,\u2019 or she\u2019ll paw it down for \u2018low,\u2019\u201d Karnes explained. \u201cShe can alert my blood sugars before my devices can pick up on them. It\u2019s amazing. It\u2019s very important for me because if I pass out it could be hypoglycemia, and hypoglycemia acts really quickly. I could be dead in a matter of minutes.\u201d<\/p>\n

Darby will bring Karnes a bottle of juice if her blood sugar is low. If Karnes passes out, Darby knows to seek help from a nearby human. Perhaps most importantly, she offers unfailing moral support. During stressful emergency room visits or medical procedures, Darby is always by her side.<\/p>\n

\u201cI get really nervous about being in the hospital, and I don\u2019t like needles at all,\u201d Karnes said. \u201cThe few times I\u2019ve been in the ER, she gets to come in there with me. She knows deep pressure therapy. She\u2019ll lay across me to calm me down. She is amazing.\u201d<\/p>\n

Karnes shares it all on TikTok, entertaining and educating fans around the world. Her account provides a window into her relationship with Darby and a real-life look at daily life with Type 1 diabetes. Content ranges from fun dance challenges with Darby to more serious posts about the realities of using an insulin pump.<\/p>\n

\u201cI post every single day,\u201d she said. \u201cMy goal is to raise awareness.\u201d<\/p>\n

Karnes will soon start posting her TikToks from the UWS campus, as she is set to begin classes this fall. Thanks to her PSEO credits, she\u2019ll come in as a junior majoring in fine arts.<\/p>\n

She wanted a friendly, welcoming college on the smaller side, not too far from her family in Grand Rapids or her doctors and brother in Duluth. She needed flexible dining options because she also has Celiac disease. Above all, though, she had to find a school that would welcome Darby.<\/p>\n

She found all that and more at UWS.<\/p>\n

\u201cI loved the campus,\u201d she said. \u201cIt seemed very nice and calming when I visited. UWS has been very accommodating to my disabilities, which has been so nice. Everybody I\u2019ve met seems very friendly.\u201d<\/p>\n

Naturally, Darby will live with Karnes and accompany her around campus. Karnes is working with campus security to set up a system in her room that will allow Darby to push a button for help in case of an emergency. It will be the perfect way to start living independently, but with Darby as a furry safety net.<\/p>\n

Karnes is already thinking ahead to her next steps. She\u2019s considering earning a master\u2019s degree with the goal of becoming an art professor. For now, though, she\u2019s looking forward to the next chapter, with Darby by her side.<\/p>\n

\u201cI\u2019m excited to see that I can be independent and that I\u2019ll still have people watching out for me. I\u2019m excited to feel safe.\u201d<\/p>\n

\n

Written by UW-Superior<\/p>\n

Link to original story: https:\/\/www.uwsuper.edu\/newscenter\/a-girls-best-friend_news5083866<\/a><\/p>\n","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":"

If you\u2019ve been lucky enough to have a dog, you understand the bonds they form with their humans. They learn our routines and sense our moods. Ever eager to please, they try hard to behave and follow our rules. But have you ever been so in tune with a dog that she warned you about […]<\/p>\n","protected":false},"author":15,"featured_media":8538,"comment_status":"closed","ping_status":"closed","template":"","institution":[110],"story_category":[],"class_list":["post-8507","campus_story","type-campus_story","status-publish","has-post-thumbnail","hentry","institution-uw-superior"],"_links":{"self":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.wisconsin.edu\/all-in-wisconsin\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/campus_story\/8507","targetHints":{"allow":["GET"]}}],"collection":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.wisconsin.edu\/all-in-wisconsin\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/campus_story"}],"about":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.wisconsin.edu\/all-in-wisconsin\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/types\/campus_story"}],"author":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.wisconsin.edu\/all-in-wisconsin\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/users\/15"}],"replies":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.wisconsin.edu\/all-in-wisconsin\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/comments?post=8507"}],"wp:featuredmedia":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.wisconsin.edu\/all-in-wisconsin\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media\/8538"}],"wp:attachment":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.wisconsin.edu\/all-in-wisconsin\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media?parent=8507"}],"wp:term":[{"taxonomy":"institution","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.wisconsin.edu\/all-in-wisconsin\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/institution?post=8507"},{"taxonomy":"story_category","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.wisconsin.edu\/all-in-wisconsin\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/story_category?post=8507"}],"curies":[{"name":"wp","href":"https:\/\/api.w.org\/{rel}","templated":true}]}}