About Me and My Seizure Dogs
My name is Nikki and I was born and raised in Tooele, Utah. My first seizure that I was hospitalized for was at the age of 4. I had a wonderfully supportive family that never treated me any different. Decades ago, not much was known about epilepsy and seizures. I was not diagnosed with epilepsy until the age of 19. I have been on many medications that do little for seizures and a lot of side effects. I am a very natural person and have taken a holistic approach to my seizures for the past 12 years. I use my wonderful dogs to alert me, essential oils and reduce my stress whenever necessary.
For all of you who might want a medical definition of seizures, here is a good one I found:
Epilepsy (ep-i-lep-see) is a brain disorder that results in seizures. The seizures occur when brain cells release too much electrical energy causing a sudden loss of control over movement, thought, and awareness. There are several types of seizures. The most severe is a grand mal (mahl) seizure, which results in stiff, jerking movements, and loss of consciousness. A petit (pet-ee) mal seizure consists of a blank or fixed stare and is sometimes mistaken for 'daydreaming.' Epileptic seizures can be preceded by an aura (AW-rah), a feeling of fear or sickness that signals the onset of a seizure. Epilepsy can strike at any age, but most sufferers experience their first seizure before 18. The cause of epilepsy cannot always be traced. Sometimes it's triggered by head injury, birth defects, infections of the central nervous system, and brain tumors. The most common treatment is anticonvulsant (anti-con-VUL-sunt) drugs. Other recommendations may include biofeedback and a special diet. In some cases, surgery may be an alternative. For more information on epilepsy, contact a healthcare professional.
I got my first dog, Daisy, in an accident. I picked her up off of the street thinking she was dead! I put her into the back of my van and started driving to the shelter. 3 minutes later, she woke up and started running around my van. I got to the shelter and they told me she had escaped a few times and would be put down. I told them I wanted her. After a grooming, I had myself a springer spaniel. She was very scared. I took her home and that night she started pacing back and forth in front of me. She repeatedly got in my way of getting to the stairs. I sat on the floor by her thinking maybe she wanted to play or just some attention. Within 5 minutes, I was in a grand mal seizure. All I remember next is her licking me constantly until I regained full consciousness. She never left my side again until I lost her to a tumor on her heart years later. Daisy woke me from many seizures and I will always be grateful to her for that and for letting me know the confidence a seizure dog can give.
After I lost Daisy, I found Gracie at the Chubbuck, Idaho shelter. She was a 3 year old Chesapeake Bay Retriever. She was so smart and so attentive. I worked in an office at the time and she accompanied me to work everyday and was so sweet and friendly. She would keep me confined to my office chair when I needed. She was also very good at catching my head if I fell and staying with me until I woke and then fetching another person. She would also stop my son from too much activity due to an asthma condition. Gracie even stopped my kids from going up a trail in the mountains and ran up it and came back 20 minutes later with a lynx leg. Some dogs are just too amazing for words. She traveled with me and I lost her suddenly to a fast driving teenager. Heartbroken, I did not get another dog for years.
Then I found Zeus, my beautiful white standard poodle. He was 7 months old and had been training in a hospital in Boise with autistic children. He also has a father that is a working seizure alert dog. He was as scared as Daisy when I first brought him home. He became confident pretty quickly as we went about our lives and people at the stores got to know him. Within the first week, he had rescued my head from a grand mal. He also took it to the next level. I noticed he would not leave my arms alone at certain times and I would feel "woke up" when he would lick them. I discussed this with my doctor and discovered I was also having petit mal seizures and had never been diagnosed with them because I had not noticed. The discovery of these seizures has made a tremendous difference in my treatment. Zeus is very beautiful and this actually makes it difficult for me to take him places. People don't understand seizures or why I need him. I love the confidence he gives me knowing that I will know it if I am about to have a seizure. :) Zeus is now retired as my working seizure alert dog, for the most part.
Hercules is my new seizure alert dog and stud for our program. He came to me at only 8 weeks old. I was able to use my new knowledge from my program to pick my own puppy for the first time. This dog has been amazing from day one. He LOVES me and just does not want to leave my side. He was a dream in training and has no problem not being alpha to Zeus. Hercules can detect my seizures within 10 minutes and is very helpful in his response during and after a seizure. He will ignore the world collapsing around him if I need him.
I am now 38 years old and have five children and a wonderful husband, Frank. My husband and kids love the dogs as much as I do and love what they do for me. So that's my story and Zeus is my reason for breeding dogs. I want everyone with seizures or any other condition to be aware of the benefits of having a highly alert, smart dog can be life changing. That raining day on a highway near West Canyon, Utah and my encounter with a muddy lump named Daisy, changed my life forever. I hope this helps if you are needing it and I am always here to chat!
New ADA laws on service dogs are available online. Here is a link to the law:
http://www.ada.gov/service_animals_2010.htm
For all of you who might want a medical definition of seizures, here is a good one I found:
Epilepsy (ep-i-lep-see) is a brain disorder that results in seizures. The seizures occur when brain cells release too much electrical energy causing a sudden loss of control over movement, thought, and awareness. There are several types of seizures. The most severe is a grand mal (mahl) seizure, which results in stiff, jerking movements, and loss of consciousness. A petit (pet-ee) mal seizure consists of a blank or fixed stare and is sometimes mistaken for 'daydreaming.' Epileptic seizures can be preceded by an aura (AW-rah), a feeling of fear or sickness that signals the onset of a seizure. Epilepsy can strike at any age, but most sufferers experience their first seizure before 18. The cause of epilepsy cannot always be traced. Sometimes it's triggered by head injury, birth defects, infections of the central nervous system, and brain tumors. The most common treatment is anticonvulsant (anti-con-VUL-sunt) drugs. Other recommendations may include biofeedback and a special diet. In some cases, surgery may be an alternative. For more information on epilepsy, contact a healthcare professional.
I got my first dog, Daisy, in an accident. I picked her up off of the street thinking she was dead! I put her into the back of my van and started driving to the shelter. 3 minutes later, she woke up and started running around my van. I got to the shelter and they told me she had escaped a few times and would be put down. I told them I wanted her. After a grooming, I had myself a springer spaniel. She was very scared. I took her home and that night she started pacing back and forth in front of me. She repeatedly got in my way of getting to the stairs. I sat on the floor by her thinking maybe she wanted to play or just some attention. Within 5 minutes, I was in a grand mal seizure. All I remember next is her licking me constantly until I regained full consciousness. She never left my side again until I lost her to a tumor on her heart years later. Daisy woke me from many seizures and I will always be grateful to her for that and for letting me know the confidence a seizure dog can give.
After I lost Daisy, I found Gracie at the Chubbuck, Idaho shelter. She was a 3 year old Chesapeake Bay Retriever. She was so smart and so attentive. I worked in an office at the time and she accompanied me to work everyday and was so sweet and friendly. She would keep me confined to my office chair when I needed. She was also very good at catching my head if I fell and staying with me until I woke and then fetching another person. She would also stop my son from too much activity due to an asthma condition. Gracie even stopped my kids from going up a trail in the mountains and ran up it and came back 20 minutes later with a lynx leg. Some dogs are just too amazing for words. She traveled with me and I lost her suddenly to a fast driving teenager. Heartbroken, I did not get another dog for years.
Then I found Zeus, my beautiful white standard poodle. He was 7 months old and had been training in a hospital in Boise with autistic children. He also has a father that is a working seizure alert dog. He was as scared as Daisy when I first brought him home. He became confident pretty quickly as we went about our lives and people at the stores got to know him. Within the first week, he had rescued my head from a grand mal. He also took it to the next level. I noticed he would not leave my arms alone at certain times and I would feel "woke up" when he would lick them. I discussed this with my doctor and discovered I was also having petit mal seizures and had never been diagnosed with them because I had not noticed. The discovery of these seizures has made a tremendous difference in my treatment. Zeus is very beautiful and this actually makes it difficult for me to take him places. People don't understand seizures or why I need him. I love the confidence he gives me knowing that I will know it if I am about to have a seizure. :) Zeus is now retired as my working seizure alert dog, for the most part.
Hercules is my new seizure alert dog and stud for our program. He came to me at only 8 weeks old. I was able to use my new knowledge from my program to pick my own puppy for the first time. This dog has been amazing from day one. He LOVES me and just does not want to leave my side. He was a dream in training and has no problem not being alpha to Zeus. Hercules can detect my seizures within 10 minutes and is very helpful in his response during and after a seizure. He will ignore the world collapsing around him if I need him.
I am now 38 years old and have five children and a wonderful husband, Frank. My husband and kids love the dogs as much as I do and love what they do for me. So that's my story and Zeus is my reason for breeding dogs. I want everyone with seizures or any other condition to be aware of the benefits of having a highly alert, smart dog can be life changing. That raining day on a highway near West Canyon, Utah and my encounter with a muddy lump named Daisy, changed my life forever. I hope this helps if you are needing it and I am always here to chat!
New ADA laws on service dogs are available online. Here is a link to the law:
http://www.ada.gov/service_animals_2010.htm