Hello,
How do I find out more about Support Dogs and the possibility to get one for my daughter-in-law? I am in North Carolina, USA, and from what I have read about these trained dogs, the "patient" must have a epilepsy diagnosis and have four seizures a month. This is not the case with my daughter-in-law. She had a head injury about nine years ago and has had two grand-mal seizures in recent months. The doctors will not let her be alone, or drive. - Martha
Hello Martha,
One of the trainers who writes for the magazine contacted me with the following information:
"The problem is that a dog cannot be trained to alert for seizures without the owner having enough seizures to do the training with. They cannot learn any other way. So this is why Martha cannot get one very easily. I know that Canine Partners for Independence does not train them as they need to find a person having the seizures all the time to actually train the dog to alert them. Also many dogs can not cope with the stress of their owner having seizures and so do not make good alert dogs. There are so many factors that make it hard to train for the situation. You need a good confident dog that is not afraid or stressed by its owner having seizures, and an owner who is having enough seizures to be able to train the dog to alert when it senses them."
Considering the above facts it may be quite difficult to get a dog, but do not give up on it - when you find the right organisation that could help if the right dog was offered just keep your name up there in front of them and keep contacting them. If you become involved with such an organisation it often happens that the dog chooses its person rather than the other way around (such as when British wonder dog Endal chose his partner Allen Parton). - Ed
Could Labradors be killers?
Hello,
Sitting around the office this morning, I was looking at the North Carolina Lab Rescue site and the topic of killer dogs came up. This statement was from a guy who owns a Pit Bull... He said that Labs are known to kill people. As a loyal lab owner for the last 30 years I found this very hard to believe but know that it is totally possible.
To your knowledge, have there ever been any reported deaths cause buy a Lab attack, either intentionally or accidentally? - John, NC
Hello John,
Well, I can not say I know of any documented instances, but I have no doubt it is very possible. I do personally know of quite a few people who have had bites from Labs, but I have to say that I am a firm believer in the fact that most dog bites are instigated by the person. We do think of the lab as the most gentle of dogs and they certainly are, but all are subject to instinct and programming, just as all animals are (including people) and I think it has got to the stage where people now expect dogs to have better behaviour than they would have themselves in the same circumstances.
This doesn't apply to "rogue dog" types that have deliberately "attacked" someone (a very rare creature). But a dog that just bites and that is it, has bitten for a reason - and the reason is usually that the very unintelligent human has not acknowledged the warnings and protests it has been giving in the lead-up to the bite. Some of these poor dogs are expected to sit and take it when kids ride their bikes over, and into, them or kick and keep kicking them or try to ride on their backs etc. Half the time the parents are there and and they just don't acknowledge the dog's predicament. And when the dog finally bites it is usually put down as vicious which it is not - it is just responding to being under attack and protecting itself and the bite has been a last resort.
Statistically, the pit bull terrier is not the dog with the largest list of bites and attacks to its credit - that achievement belongs to the German shepherd! However, the shepherd has the advantage of being used and trained for rescue, military, police and many other types of work, and of being very intelligent and therefore very trainable, so is never likely to be put on any country's banned dogs list. - Ed
