Seizure Alert Dogs Bring Miracles To Epilepsy Sufferers

October 21, 2008 by Dog Service Network
Filed under Doggie News

We all know that dogs can be trained to do tricks such as sit and rollover, but how about saving the lives of people?

Ben, a 15 month old Golden Retriever, is more than the usual house pet, he’s a specially trained seizure dog. He helps to turn on the light, open doors, pick up the remote control off the floor, pull heavy objects with his teeth and much more!

Ben’s owner, Colise Johnson, has epilepsy and cerebral pasly and never knows when to expect a seizure to occur, but having Ben helps to “slow the ride down so it’s manageable”. Prior to Johnson’s dog Ben, she recalls her dog McKeever who “told her ahead of time when she was going to have a seizure … He helped her get off the floor if she fell, retrieve items, get clothes out of the drawer for a bath, open the fridge on command, and take out the recycling”.

Some dogs can anticipate an oncoming seizure 20-40 minutes prior. Usually if the dog senses a seizure, they begin to act restless, distressed, and show signs of agitation. Dr. Gregory Barkley, neurologist at Henry Ford Hospital in Detroit, MI and advisor for the Epilepsy Foundation of America says that “the dog does not predict a seizure, it may respond to the earlier stages of a seizure”.

Rich Bindler, a Senior Managing Director in Private Client who had been heading the Global Family Office Group (GFOG), is assuming new senior FA management responsibilities. Tom Hexner, head of Private Client, said he was “especially excited and proud” that Rich would be rejoining the Financial Advisor leadership team to help “guide us as we meet the challenges and take advantages of the incredible opportunities available in a market that has never needed the services we offer more.” Meanwhile, GFOG will become part of the Wealth Management Group under WMG head Ray Wareham. In announcing the moves, Tom noted that GFOG’s recent conference series, ending with an event in Palm Beach on October 24, had allowed Bernstein to meet with many sophisticated families and their advisors and had received “extremely positive reviews.”