KYLIE Gerritson, of Kalgoorlie, Australia, adopted her dog Holden, a border collie, about six years ago because she wanted a good companion, but he has turned out to be a lifesaver as well.
Kylie has been epileptic since birth, and always avoided normal activities as she was afraid of having a seizure while she was out. However, after Holden came into her life as a pup, given to her by a friend at her workplace, it was not long before he began to warn her of impending seizures with a meaningful yelp or growl!
Ms Gerritson said she was told she would always need 24-hour care, as she could not have a bath or shower, or cook a meal without the fear that she may have a seizure. But now all that has changed - when Holden starts to growl at her, she opens the door and windows so that he can go and get some help.
Holden saved her life about four years ago when she was swimming in the sea - he pulled her out of the water and then lay on her stomach, allowing her to blow the water she had swallowed out of her mouth.
Some time later, Holden was officially recognised as Australia's first seizure alert dog, and was allowed to accompany Kylie wherever she went, in buses, and even in hospital.
Now, Ms Gerritson is planning a school in Kalgoorlie-Boulder to teach dogs to be seizure alert dogs. And she is an ideal trainer. The problem with trying to train such dogs is that there has to be a person at the training facility who has seizures often enough for the dogs to become aware of the situation their training is targeting. Only someone who is subject to seizures can give them the practical knowledge that they require, since it is the pre-seizure signs that they must be able to pick up.
Holden lets Ms Gerritson know of an impending seizure from five minutes to an hour before it happens, so Kylie says that she thinks Holden has that ability in his genes. She is looking for a mate for him and hoping that he will pass on that ability to the next generation.
