Saint Francis Service Dogs is a non-profit organization that helps children and adults with disabilities to become more independent and self-sufficient through partnerships with professionally trained service dogs. We love when they share inspiring, heart-warming stories of partnerships. Meet Sarah and Seth!
Sarah has Epilepsy, which causes seizures and varying degrees of muscle weakness. Seth, her service dog, has been trained to respond to Sarah’s seizures — he seeks help for her and keeps her oriented after an episode. Remarkably enough, Seth is alerted to Sarah’s seizures before they occur. He is now responding to seizures up to six minutes in advance, almost eliminating their related injuries. Seth makes a point of not only alerting Sarah, but alerting others as well. He will get help for her if she is alone or cannot communicate.
Knowing when seizures are going to occur has made Sarah’s life a little more predictable and so much more enjoyable. Sarah no longer worries about the logistics of her day and she is finally able to live in the moment. In fact, having Seth has actually reduced Sarah’s seizures and she now has far less anxiety and stress. Sarah says, “Seth has increased my emotional and physical quality of life. He has given me the gift of independence.”
Seth is always making Sarah laugh and is constantly amazing her with his intelligence. Sarah feels that she is able to do things just as anyone else would. She finds herself participating in far more activities than she used to because she is more confident with Seth by her side.
Sarah continues, “Seth is a miracle dog in the way that he can alert and respond to my seizures. But if all of that went away, he would still bring me so much joy. I think honestly, the best part about Seth is just being with him. I love his personality – he is the most loyal dog I have ever known.”
