Guess what else my service dog London can do… she knows how to alert to a seizure! She’s been working with her trainer Shelby the past few months on what my seizures look like. My Mommy and Daddy sent video of one of my typical seizures to Shelby along with notes of what all of my seizures have looked like. Shelby then spent the past few months prompting London to bark when she plays “the seizure game.” Again, to London a seizure is just a game. Shelby shakes, London barks, Shelby gives London a treat, London wins the game. But now, London is starting to learn that she needs to bark any time anyone shakes.
Today in class we learned how to practice “the seizure game” with London. She immediately remembered playing the game with Shelby and now barks every time she sees the actions or hears the sounds we make to mimic the sounds that Kye makes when she’s having a seizure.
London is also trained to react to the scent of a seizure, but that is not something I, my Mommy, or my Daddy can produce for her any time we want to practice. In time, as she is with me for my seizures she will begin to learn the scent that I give off normally and during a seizure. Then with time, she may even be able to sense when I’m giving off that seizure scent before my seizure starts. If that happens, she may bark, or sniff, or lick me. My Mommy and Daddy can then get me to a safe spot and have my rescue medication ready.
Before lunch we went out tracking again. London is doing a great job searching for me. After tracking we went to a restaurant and London laid under the table and slept for the entire meal!
Today we also worked on tethering, when London acts like an anchor to make sure I can’t get too far away. Mommy and Daddy talked with the trainer about toys, grooming, and health… but I’ve had such a busy week that I slept through most of that snuggled in Mommy’s lap. They talked a lot about which toys are safe for London and which toys she should avoid – this is important so that London stays healthy but also to ensure good behavior.
After class, we took London back to the Service Dog Park at Wright State University. We met London’s friends Obi (Obi Wan) and Han (Han Solo), from the Start Wars litter, at the park. They had a great time running together and playing ball. Then, we went to Dick’s Sporting Goods and London practiced her public access work. She did a perfect job. Remember to check out today’s pictures.