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Seizure Alert Dogs

Fri, 06/12/2015 - 04:56

I have had a seizure alert dog for several years.  I got lucky insomuch as she picked up an alerting behavior on her own.  We just had to reinforce the behavior and then put her through all of the training required to get along in public as a service dog.  But, she has absolutely changed my life.  Once she started alerting, in all her years of service, she has never missed a single seizure, and given no false alarms.  She has enabled me to carry on with life and not worry about when the next seizure will strike.  (They're making a film about her, starting this summer:  zoethefilm.com)

Now, she is close to retirement.  She still reliably alerts, but will be too old in a year or two to get along well in public.  So, the difficult decision is upon us as to whether we will try to train another dog.  I have a hard time imagining life without her, and bringing on a new dog brings the risk that the dog will never learn to alert, or may not do so reliably.

Has anyone else had experience with this transition?

 

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