According to Sky News Joe Stalnaker’s dog (a German Shepherd named Buddy) called 911 to summon help when Mr. Stalnaker suffered from a seizure.
Mr Stalnaker, of Scottsdale, Arizona, has suffered seizures for ten years after suffering a head injury during a military training exercise. Her adopted Buddy as an eight week old puppy and trained him to use the speed dial on the phone in case he began to have an attack. “So when he got into difficulties, Buddy knew exactly what to do – hit the speed-dial button on the phone for 911.”
On the tape of the 911 call, he can be heard whimpering and barking after the operator answers and repeatedly asks if the caller needs help. Later Buddy can be heard barking loudly when the officers arrived at Mr Stalnaker’s house.
Mr Stalnaker spent two days in a hospital and recovered from the seizure. “Even the veteran dispatchers – they haven’t heard of anything like this.”
Mr Stalnaker’s address is flagged in the force’s computer system with a notification that a trained dog might call 911 when the owner was incapacitated. Buddy has made two other 911 calls when Mr Stalnaker was having seizures.
http://news.sky.com/skynews/Home/World-News/Dog-Saves-Life-Of-Owner-Joe-Stalnaker-
By-Dialling-911-When-He-Had-A-Seizure-In-Scottsdale-Arizona/Article/200809315099414
There are many ways that dogs can be trained to assist people who suffer from seizure. Although the most publicized seems to be seizure detection this is not usually the most common way dogs provide assistance.
According to Michael Sapp, Sr.of PAWS With A Cause, Assistance dogs “function in different ways for each person. Only five of the 28 dogs have, after several years of working with their owners, began to alert them prior to a seizure. This is less than 1 in 4 dogs, but also remember that only about 2% of the dogs entering our program have the necessary qualities for this type of dog. Another factor about PREDICTIONS also needs to be considered. When the client changes medications, it can change their personality and other behaviors that the dog may use as cues. This has happened several times in our program, and it has taken many months for the dog to adjust to their new behaviors.
“In all of the clients we have trained dogs for, there have yet to be two who have the need for their dog to accomplish the same tasks for them. Yes they all have seizures, but they are different in the manner in which their seizures occur or in the severity of the seizure or what triggers them, from stress, certain foods cooking to patterns on floors, carpeting or TV.
“I do feel that training the right dog to assist a person when they are having a seizure could escalate the dog’s capabilities in detecting seizures. To claim this, however, is a disservice to the client and the program. We never tell anyone this. In fact, we state that, if for some reason this happens with you it will be a bonus, but not to expect it or think that it will happen.
http://www.uwsp.edu/psych/dog/LA/sapp1.htm
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