Epilepsy Alert Dogs

 No matter who you are, watching a seizure for the first time is a very mortifying thing. At the age of 8 my only sibling had his first seizure. Ross has lived having Nocturnal Seizures about twice a month since. They aren't as severe as a lot of other kids but it is part of his life and has had to learn to often slow down and take it easy as a preventative measure when he's stressed. For a few years we had a dog that was a natural alerter. She would run into my  moms room and jump on her bed and start howling. It was very helpful during the time we had her but she was in an unfortunate accident while we where out of the country and we lost her to that. Summer, would have never been a great service dog, it took three people to catch her out of the back yard and she was extremely hyper-active.

I have been doing a lot of service dog stuff over break, supporting my friend while she trains her first psychiatric support dog, becoming certified with the Foundation for Service Dog Support as an evaluator, and doing my best to educate the public about these super dogs. Ross noticed that I have been very active in this and he's been asking about maybe getting a seizure response dog. He's kind of a daredevil and wants to try a lot of new things that scare my mom, like driving, and I think having an alert dog would settle her mind and make life simpler for him. I'm going to dedicate this post to him to talk all about what a seizure alert dog could do for him and the Pro's and Con's of having an alert dog. Having a service dog is a very personal choice, and you have to consider all the factors. It's not for everyone.

Ross is 15 now so he's starting to think about college and his future. If he where to get a dog, the next two years would be the perfect time to consider it. Epilepsy Alert dogs have many super powers. Most can protect a person once they are having a seizure but a few special dogs are able to tell before a seizure happens. It's very difficult to find a dog that can alert before a seizure so the best thing to dog is train a do to respond when a seizure happens.

Seizure Alert Dog Task 

• Pulling out of dangerous area while having seizure 
• alert of an upcoming seizure 
• 3rd party alert, (can alert a family member or be trained to press a button that calls for help) 
• flip over and remove dangerous objects near by 
• provide a reason to leave a stressful situation
• Preventing handler from hitting head while seizing 
• catching handler if they fall 
• reassuring after a seizure happens 
• aid in preventing confusion 
• help handler off the ground 
• preventing handler from continuing stressful activity 
• providing a reason for rest or down time 

Pro's

• ability to drive safer 
• not having to worry about injury during seizure from being positioned the wrong way 
• lowers stress level preventing seizures 
• being able to tell someone when your having a seizure even if your not able to say something 
• comfort 
• ability to live an overall healthier and safer life

Con's

• visible disability 
• cost of a dog 
• training of a dog 
• access denial and access issues
• dog has needs to and sometimes you have to make compromises in order for your dog to be safe. Sometimes dogs safety comes before your own. 
• dog is going to end up going most everywhere with you, this can be a hassle 

These are just some things to get you thinking about the idea of having an epilepsy alert dog. They can be beneficial in many ways  but it's something you have to think about long and hard before making a decision. Having a service dog can help to greatly improve your quality of life but it's not for everyone. Ask lots of questions and think of every possible thing before starting to get your dog. Talk to service dog teams and hear what they have to say about life with a service dog.
Can't think of much else to write but this is just a start to some of the things seizure alert dogs can do. Ask questions!

That's all for now,

                                                                        My Brother and I

Kyia - pup